This is on point. I'm Meg Nechakrabardi. Richard Reeves is a senior fellow in economic studies

at the Brookings Institute and the director of the Future of the Middle Class Initiative.

His research focuses on social mobility, inequality, and family change, and he has a new

book out. It's titled of boys and men, why the modern male is struggling, and why it matters,

and what to do about it. And he joins us on the show. Richard, welcome back to On Point.

Well, thank you, Meg Nechakrabardi. Good to be back.

It's a real delight to have you. And this book is quite a read, and it's an important topic.

And you know, Richard, when we told listeners that we were going to be talking about men in this

country and boys, we got a lot of listener voicemails. People reached out to us to share their

stories. And for example, this is what Angel, who's a mom in Orange County, California. This is

what she called and told us. I have a 14-and-a-half-year-old son and a 12-and-a-half-year-old daughter.

And I have noticed, for sure, a major gap in development. Both of my children have been diagnosed

with ADHD. However, my daughter thinks to be able to manage her symptoms, most of the time,

is an honoral student. I have my son on the flip side of the coin who can manage peas and peas,

but has this terrible anxiety. I am a single mother, and their father isn't much of a

positive example in their life. So that's Angel from Orange County, California. Richard,

what do you hear in her story? Well, one thing I hear is this very, very common refrain from parents,

especially if they have a son and a daughter, which is that you do see these differences that the

boys are struggling more in the education system. And that's supported by all of the research now,

actually, of those getting the best GPAs, two-thirds of girls, of those getting the worst GPAs,

two-thirds of boys. Obviously, a huge gap on college campuses now. But actually, when you talk

to people and you say, did you know that there is this developmental gap, which is based, some

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