Part parenting book, part personal memoir, “Raising a Modern Frontier Boy” provides a firsthand look at the struggles and joys of raising a boy in the modern era.
Written by father-and son team John and Jedidiah Grooters, “Raising a Modern Frontier Boy” is structured around two key events. The first is Jed’s refusal to remove a Scripture quotation from his high school graduation speech—an act that garnered national attention. The second is the filming of “Frontier Boys,” which John wrote, directed, and produced, and in which Jed played a starring role.
These events frame the story of the relationship between father and son, with John and Jed taking turns telling their sides of the story in each chapter. In the course of the book, Jed goes from a struggling teenage boy to a young man dedicated to the Lord and committed to his family and friends. But that path was not always an easy one, and both John and Jed refuse to whitewash the ups and downs, mistakes and triumphs that eventually get them to where they are today.
In a time when raising a boy is fraught with unique challenges, John and Jed point the way forward for fathers and sons who want to honor God in all they do. Though the book at times seems unsure of what it is trying to be—particularly in the section reflecting on the filming of “Frontier Boys”—it makes up for this by providing a practical and tested model for parenting and father-son relationships. The book is well worth reading for any father or father to be, as well as for any teen boy who hopes to break free from the temptations they face on a daily basis.