A Path to Manhood: Encouragement and Advice for Young Men

by Paul Cumbo, Luke Russert (Foreword by)

Overview

In a world where young men are seeking direction, veteran educator Paul Cumbo offers a transformative roadmap to authentic manhood that bridges traditional values with modern understanding.

Based on more than two decades of experience teaching and mentoring, Cumbo delivers an essential guide that speaks directly to today's teenage boys and young men with both warmth and challenge. This is not another shallow “man up” manifesto – it is a nuanced, apolitical exploration of what it truly means to grow into a man of strength, wisdom, and purpose.

Through practical wisdom and engaging storytelling, A Path to Manhood addresses core issues young men face:

• Building genuine self-knowledge and emotional intelligence
• Developing healthy relationships and true friendship
• Making smart decisions about education, technology, finance, and vocation
• Understanding love, marriage, faith, and fatherhood
• Breaking negative patterns and building positive habits that last a lifetime

 

Endorsed by leading experts in psychology, education, and spirituality including Leonard Sax, Michael Reichert, Michael Gurian, and Fr. James Martin, SJ, this compact guide speaks to both the head and heart of a young man navigating his journey to adulthood. Whether you are a young man seeking direction or someone who cares about one, this book provides the perfect balance of encouragement and challenge needed for today’s generation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493089000
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/18/2025
Pages:	298
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Paul Cumbo has more than two decades of experience as an educator leading young men. He is a regular speaker at independent boys’ schools, and his article “Boys Will Be… The Boys WeRaise” was the most-read article of the year on the National Association of Independent Schools’ blog, Independent Ideas. As co-founder of the Camino Institute, Cumbo leads immersive retreats for students, colleagues, and clients. He is the author of four novels and lives in Buffalo, NY.

What People are Saying About This

Ann Holmquist

Written with a desire to ease the hearts and minds of young men and those who care for them, A Path to Manhood addresses an array of challenges faced by boys and young men today. Paul Cumbo intertwines the wisdom gained through his own life's journey with research across an array of pertinent fields in this timely, well-informed exploration of positive masculinity.

Tim Muldoon

Paul Cumbo has offered a great service to anyone involved in the adventure of raising boys—as parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, or mentors. A Path to Manhood will offer dozens of conversation starters, inviting young men to think about the building blocks of a good life. Get a copy for yourself and another copy as a birthday or graduation gift for him!

Luke Russert

It’s no secret that boys are falling behind in today’s America, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A Path to Manhood is a quick-paced, engaging read full of relatable vulnerability, critical thinking, and robust explanations of the universal values that truly matter. Paul Cumbo provides a masterful blueprint for raising and engaging the ‘emerging men’ of today for tomorrow.

Ian Harding

I was lucky to have Paul as a mentor in high school and witness first-hand his dedication to shaping men of character, compassion, and competence. Years later, A Path to Manhood opened my eyes to how much more there is to discover in my own journey as a father, husband and artist, and Paul lays out advice for my stage of life in a funny, inviting way. I encourage other guys to pick up this inspiring book, read it, and grow. Anyone with a son, husband, or brother will also gain an illuminating perspective.

Jennifer L.W. Fink

Paul Cumbo doesn’t buy the cultural narrative that men are simple—and in stating this upfront, he frees boys and young men to embrace their complexity. In A Path to Manhood, Cumbo empowers boys to create lives of meaning. A great book for teen and young adult males!

Leonard Sax MD PhD

There has been much talk in recent years about ‘the boy crisis.’ Paul Cumbo understands that the problem at its root is not about globalization, not about deindustrialization, but about the spiritual journey, about our culture’s failure to teach boys what it means to be a man. Drinking deeply from the well of the Western tradition, from Aristotle to Tolkien, Cumbo provides a useful guide for a teenage boy to find his own path to manhood. Highly recommended.

Sean Kullman

The boy who learns to kindle and tend the fire will become the man who keeps us all warm.  In A Path to Manhood, Paul Cumbo takes us on the spiritual and life journey that burns in each young man’s heart and soul—his desire to be loved and purposeful in his home, his community, and in his devotion to faith.

Editorial Reviews

Paul Cumbo doesn’t buy the cultural narrative that men are simple—and in stating this upfront, he frees boys and young men to embrace their complexity. In A Path to Manhood, Cumbo empowers boys to create lives of meaning. A great book for teen and young adult males!

A Path to Manhood offers a wealth of deep insight, no-nonsense advice and genuine encouragement for today’s adolescent boys and young men. It’s a compact, readable book that covers a surprising amount of ground, from self-discipline to spirituality. Paul Cumbo couples wisdom with good-natured humor, and his expertise from more than two decades working with this demographic shines through. But, even more importantly, so too does the patient, unassuming, encouraging voice of a true teacher.

James Martin

Paul Cumbo doesn’t buy the cultural narrative that men are simple—and in stating this upfront, he frees boys and young men to embrace their complexity. In A Path to Manhood, Cumbo empowers boys to create lives of meaning. A great book for teen and young adult males!

Jennifer L.W. Fink

Paul Cumbo has offered a great service to anyone involved in the adventure of raising boys—as parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, or mentors. A Path to Manhood will offer dozens of conversation starters, inviting young men to think about the building blocks of a good life. Get a copy for yourself and another copy as a birthday or graduation gift for him!

Tim Muldoon

The boy who learns to kindle and tend the fire will become the man who keeps us all warm.  In A Path to Manhood, Paul Cumbo takes us on the spiritual and life journey that burns in each young man’s heart and soul—his desire to be loved and purposeful in his home, his community, and in his devotion to faith.

Sean Kullman

With clarity, candor, and gentleness, Cumbo offers wise and down-to-earth counsel to young men navigating the unpredictable, challenging, and joy-filled paths of adolescence and young adulthood. A Path to Manhood is a must-read for any educator or parent entrusted with the care of young men.

Kevin O'Brien

There has been much talk in recent years about ‘the boy crisis.’ Paul Cumbo understands that the problem at its root is not about globalization, not about deindustrialization, but about the spiritual journey, about our culture’s failure to teach boys what it means to be a man. Drinking deeply from the well of the Western tradition, from Aristotle to Tolkien, Cumbo provides a useful guide for a teenage boy to find his own path to manhood. Highly recommended.

Leonard Sax MD PhD

Written with a desire to ease the hearts and minds of young men and those who care for them, A Path to Manhood addresses an array of challenges faced by boys and young men today. Paul Cumbo intertwines the wisdom gained through his own life's journey with research across an array of pertinent fields in this timely, well-informed exploration of positive masculinity.

Ann Holmquist

I was lucky to have Paul as a mentor in high school and witness first-hand his dedication to shaping men of character, compassion, and competence. Years later, A Path to Manhood opened my eyes to how much more there is to discover in my own journey as a father, husband and artist, and Paul lays out advice for my stage of life in a funny, inviting way. I encourage other guys to pick up this inspiring book, read it, and grow. Anyone with a son, husband, or brother will also gain an illuminating perspective.

Ian Harding

At a time when so many young men struggle on the threshold of manhood, teacher, coach, and mentor Paul Cumbo offers them warm encouragement and heartening challenge in his new book, A Path to Manhood. Befogged in ancient masculine myths only beginning to yield to the science of adolescent neurodevelopment, young men need just this kind of clarity, support and understanding. I hope each and every young man - and those who love him - find their way to this book.

Michael Reichert PhD

A Path to Manhood is a valuable guide for young men coming of age in a culture struggling to understand authentic masculinity. Cumbo masters the art and science of 'tough love,' blending wisdom and wit to challenge and encourage the reader. A go-to for young guys, as well as their parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors. I highly recommend it.

Michael Gurian

It’s no secret that boys are falling behind in today’s America, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A Path to Manhood is a quick-paced, engaging read full of relatable vulnerability, critical thinking, and robust explanations of the universal values that truly matter. Paul Cumbo provides a masterful blueprint for raising and engaging the ‘emerging men’ of today for tomorrow.

Luke Russert