"Why Boys Don't Talk and Why We Care: A Mother's Guide to Connection"

by Susan Schaffer & Linda Perlman Gordon
Date of Publication- June 2000

WEEA Associate, Susan Schaffer, and co-author Linda Perlman Gordon publish "Why Boys Don't Talk", a book addressing the challenges of raising teenage boys and describes creative and realistic strategies for connecting with and staying close to boys. This book addresses the difficult realities of growing up male today, provides explanations of current psychological, educational, sociological, and scientific theories about boys' behavior, and points out the societal constraints many boys face during adolescence.

Susan Morris Shaffer is currently the Deputy Director of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center. Ms. Shaffer is nationally recognized for her work in the development of comprehensive technical assistance and training programs on educational equity and gender-related issues. She has authored or co-authored several publications related to gender equity, mathematics and science education, women's history, multicultural education, and disability. She has managed a number of grants from the U.S. Department of Education's Women's Educational Equity Act Program and has spent 30 years both teaching and working in public schools. Ms. Shaffer holds an undergraduate degree in history and a graduate degree in education from the University of California, Berkeley.

Linda Perlman Gordon, LCSW-C, M.Ed., is a Clinical Social Worker and a trained mediator. She has directed a court-mandated parenting seminar for divorcing parents, and as a member of the Montgomery County Divorce Roundtable, developed the Supervised Visitation Program for Montgomery County, MD. She is a graduate of The Family Therapy Practice Center, has advanced degrees in Social Work and Education, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Clinical Social Work Institute. Ms. Gordon has taught seminars on the subjects of divorce and blended families, trained seminar leaders and developed programs concerning mental health issues for children. She has a private psychotherapy practice in Washington, DC treating individuals, couples, and families.