Raising Men

Lessons Navy SEALs Learned from Their Training and Taught to Their Sons

By: Eric Davis, Dina Santorelli - contributor

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

After Eric Davis spent over 16 years in the military, including a decade in the SEAL teams, his family was more than used to his absence on deployments and secret missions that could obscure his whereabouts for months at a time. Without a father figure in his own life since the age of 15, Eric was desperate to maintain the bonds he'd fought so hard to forge when his children were young - particularly with his son, Jason, because he knew how difficult it was to face the challenge of becoming a man on one's own. Unfortunately Eric learned the hard way that quality time doesn't always show up in quantity time.

Facebook, television, phones, video games, school, jobs, friends - they all got in the way of a real, meaningful father-son relationship. It was time to take action.

As a SEAL, Eric learned to innovate and push boundaries, allowing him to function at levels beyond what was expected, comfortable, ordinary, and even imaginable, and he knew that as a father he needed to do the same with his son. Meeting extreme with extreme was the only answer.

Using a unique blend of discipline, leadership, adventure, and grace, Eric and his SEAL brothers will teach you how to connect and reconnect with your sons and learn how to raise real men - the Navy SEAL way.

©2016 SOFREP, Inc (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Amazing, insightful, funny and humbling.

Would you listen to Raising Men again? Why?

Absolutely. It was entertaining and sniper focused. I will be a better father because of this book. Great food for thought and I was amazed at how many times I burst out laughing. Similarly, my father wasn't in the picture and I could relate to what Eric was saying. This book gives solid perspective on how to be a great father. In fact, after reading the first chapter and when I got home from work, I noticed I was already becoming a better dad.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Eric of course. I love how he, his wife, his ex wife and her husband are all on the same team when raising the kids. I appreciate the humor, the tell it like it is attitude and the sniper shot right between the eyes perspective when calling me out on my priorities and raising my boys.

Have you listened to any of Peter Berkrot’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first time listening to Peter. I didn't think I'd like the voice at the beginning, but he is right on the money. Great job.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Very funny. Surprised at how many times I burst out laughing.

Any additional comments?

Great job Eric. The ripple affects of this book will be seen by generations.

Principles

When I was growing up... Me and my brothers we merely managed. We weren't taught the principles of life (I now know why).

In my current profession, a common saying is to meet the patient where they're at. Having prior combat knowledge, I can relate to these principles and apply them easily.

Principles are principles and combat simply accelerates the learning curve. I hope if you're considering this book to take the time to not only read this book, but to slowly apply the concepts you read. Chances are - if you are considering this book, you strive to be excellent in everything you do.

This is an investment for you and your family. I highly recommend this book from one father to another.

self-aggrandizing and completely irrelevant

If you thought this book might be a new perspective on raising your boys, you thought wrong. The author takes great pains to help you understand that he was a Navy SEAL. In fact, the first 60 minutes of this audio book feels like the author is sitting in a group of military buddies attempting to one-up the guys that had legit, cool war stories in order to gain some relevance and brandish his credentials. At one point, he regards himself as having trained SEALS Marcus Luttrell and Chris Kyle.
As a Marine veteran myself, I found the story littered with unnecessary foul language, and found the story to sound just like any other wannabe trying to use his service to make a buck.
If this story has anything to do with being a man attempting to try to raise your boy to be a man in a world full of metro-sexuality, good luck finding any semblance of a plot leading to that story. At once foul-mouthed and the instantly a flashback to BUDS training, this book sounds so boot (as in doesn't know anything beyond basic training) that it's only missing the cheap haircut and fire watch ribbon before being commissioned as a total loser of a book.
From a performance standpoint, you couldn't try to sound more like a fake 80s overnight DJ trying to sound like an old war horse. It is quite literally the worst reading of a book you could possibly imagine. He must have been the ONLY person left in the world that was willing to read this book without burning it in total disappointment.
My advice would be to take the few bucks you are thinking of blowing, wad it up in a ball, throw it in the toilet, and then drop a deuce on it. It will literally be a better use of the money than spending it on this total and complete waste of existence.
This review is without a doubt the best part of anything associated with this terrible excuse of a book.
You're welcome.

Interesting Concepts, awful narration

This book's content, like many other SEAL authored titles, is highly repetitive regarding aspects of training (ie BUDS). I enjoyed the discussions on fatherhood and will likely buy the hardcover to finish as I only made it about an hour into the audiobook.
My primary issue was the narrator. I tend to not listen to the sample clip, which I regret in this instance. I didn't care for him at all.
Additionally, it gets quite confusing as the author has included excerpts from family and friends in the middle f the text, and it becomes easy to get mixed up in who is currently "talking" at which points. Makes it seem quite disjointed.

Good content if you can get over narrator

The narrator’s voice almost stopped me from listening through the first chapter. He sounds like a cocky beefcake thug. However I listened on because I thought the content would be worth it and it was. I liked the navy seal stories and a bit of the parenting advice applies. Not bad.

Terrible Narrator

Good story, but the narrator sounds like someone out of a Halloween movie with a sinister voice

Great Info, Narrator didn't fit though

Great perspective but the narrator makes the book seem like it's being read to you by a random person, not told you you through the words of a Navy SEAL. I'd definitely recommend the book though!

The narrator

Why does he sound like a Bond villain reading? Good book but he made it almost unbareable to listen to

Couldn't take the narrator

I listened for the first part of the book but simply could not take the narrator's voice or style. I still believe the book may have promise so I may pick up a hard copy.

great story, narration too dramatic

awesome motivating book. I didn't care for the narration, I found the voice inflection over dramatic, like the narrator was trying hard to sound tough.

Great book

A must read for any father looking for a better relation with its family.
Tks

Action movie trailer?

With all due respect to Mr Davis’ outstanding achievements and contributions to his country, I found the action movie trailer reading style too distracting to get past the initial chapters (hence 3 stars). I may try the Kindle version instead.

All parents should listen to this book

Super well read all parents should listen to this book so many amazing tips and so enjoyable :)

Great book. Great practical advice to stepping up!

I really enjoyed the book. The contents and the direction a the book gives you with advice on how I to think and tackle situations in a different way are very pertinent. It took some time to get use to the animated voice of the person reading the book. Once that hurdle was over come I settled into hearing the advice that was being given.