"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power, mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil, and I want you to remember this...true love never dies. You remember that, boy...Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in." --Hub McCann, Secondhand Lions
In the film Secondhand Lions, Hub McCann, a soldier and adventurer grown old in years but not in spirit, frequently teaches teenage males the meaning of manhood. He lives by a code of honor and courage, and tries to pass on that code to young men in trouble.
Father, grandfather, and teacher, Jeff Minick has also witnessed first-hand the struggles of young men striving to belong to a world that often seems bent on abolishing manhood altogether. Young men between the ages of sixteen and thirty can make babies, go to war, and even earn large incomes, but some of them remain arrested adolescents. They lack a code to live by. Frequently they lack a model for manhood.
Movies Make The Man: The Hollywood Guide to Life, Love, and Faith seeks to provide such models. Using as evidence dozens of popular movies, Minick examines the meaning of courage, wisdom, love, honor, and faith in relationship to manhood. Using films as varied as Gladiator, Bridget Jones's Diary, Master and Commander, and Kate and Leopold, Minick shares with readers the lessons for men found in these great films, lessons ranging from how to treat a woman on a first date to the place of faith in a man's life. To perform meaningful work, to believe in something worthy of our belief, to find someone to love: these building blocks for a life lived with purpose can all be found on the big screen.
Movies Make The Man should appeal not only to young men, but also to parents, teachers, coaches, and other mentors.
From reviews of Jeff Minick's other books:
Amanda Bell: "Jeff Minick's novel is a mix of humor and tragedy, warmth and somberness that will echo deep in reader's souls."
--Eugene Girin, Chronicles Magazine
Learning As I Go: "Delivered with wit and style, Jeff Minick's comments on politics and religion fit my own sentiments exactly."
--Joe Ecclesia, Smoky Mountain News
Dust On Their Wings: "One need not be a believer to appreciate Dust On Their Wings, though someone who accepts the reality of angels and of 'the Love that moves the sun and the other stars' will find in these pages particular satisfaction in a tale well told."
Karl Keating, Online Review