03/16/2015
CNN reporter Levs issues an articulate call for men to fight against the laws, policies, and stigmas preventing them from fully participating in their families’ lives. As he points out, this is no longer a 1950s Father Knows Best world; today “men and women are sharing child-rearing and household responsibilities.” Still, Levs believes attitudes haven’t changed enough, quoting Sheryl Sandberg’s astute observation that we’ve changed the workplace, but not the home. When he first joined CNN, he was astonished to find that a generous parental leave policy applied to any kind of parent, both birth and adoptive, except for a biological father. After a year of fighting, the policy was changed. Levs takes on issues both concrete (parental leave, the tax system, paid family leave) and societal (the doofus dad stereotype, the fear of men as predators, the stigma against men taking time off work for family.) His practical solutions—like helping businesses to afford family leave by lowering taxes—are solid, but when he argues that men are ill-served by the current system, his tone becomes shrill and less convincing. Lev’s thoughtful plea for men and women to work together is more persuasive, providing a useful guide for those looking to effect change in their own workplaces and communities. Agent: Mollie Glick, Foundry Literary + Media. (May)
A manifesto of work and life for men that aims to be for working fathers what Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In was to working mothers: a cogent analysis of the systemic problems in work culture that make it so difficult to be a parent.” — Time
“CNN reporter Levs issues an articulate call for men to fight against the laws, policies, and stigmas preventing them from fully participating in their families’ lives.” — Publishers Weekly
“Well-documented and easy-to-comprehend data on why men need more paid time off to be with their newborn children.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A new generation of fathers is joining legions of women in the fight for equality. All In shows how men and women can unite to overcome outdated policies and gender-based stigmas holding them back and make big changes that help families, businesses, and the entire nation.” — Maria Shriver, mother of four, award-winning journalist and producer, six-time bestselling author, and activist for social change and equality
“All In is an inspired, positive and original approach to the ideal of loving being a father. Josh Levs has touched me. Not literally, but philosophically—as being proud to be a man in our society whose voice can be heard if we simply employ the contents of this wonderful read.” — Bob Saget, comedian, actor, director, and author of bestseller Dirty Daddy
“A must read. All In crushes outdated yet powerful stereotypes and—with fresh voices, insightful research and a passionate call to action—offers a more expansive, more hopeful and ultimately more human vision of what it means to be a good man.” — Brigid Schulte, author of New York Times bestseller Overwhelmed
“Levs says it well: ‘the first months of life have a huge impact on the following years.’ We all benefit when families—moms and dads—get more quality time at home with their kids from the get-go. Let’s go all in to fix the policies that make it so.” — Gabriel Stricker, Twitter Chief Communication Officer
“Dads matter! Josh Levs passionately makes the case that society has marginalized the role of fathers, and it’s time we pay attention to this unbalance. I hope All In leads to a serious national discussion.” — Roland S. Martin, host and managing editor of News One Now, TV One Cable Network
“Josh Levs leaves virtually no stone unturned in cataloging the state of modern fatherhood, uncovering its game—changing impact on masculinity, relationships, media, marketing, and more. His insights and conclusions will serve as a roadmap to the coming decade of parenting and relationship research, family leave policies, and product marketing efforts.” — John Pacini, cofounder of XY Media and Dad 2.0 Summit
“One of the most important books written about fatherhood. Engaging and entertaining, All In should be read by fathers, mothers, CEOs, policy makers, and anyone who cares about improving American society.” — Cynthia Calvert, president of Workforce 21C
“The changes we need in the workplace—from paid parental leave to additional flexibility and more—will not only be better for families, they’ll also be better for business. Josh Levs lays out a clear and compelling path for how dads can join with moms to make these changes happen.” — Jen Dulski, President and COO of Change.org
“…All In does a superb job of showing how we can make positive changes that benefit organizations, employees and their families, and our society.” — Stewart D. Friedman, founder of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project and author of Leading the Life You Want
“All In represents the voice of any parent who feels boxed in by gender stereotypes, at home and at the office. Josh’s energetic style and exhaustive research…comprise an important treatise on how to reboot our obsolete instincts and policies toward working parents.” — Doug French, cofounder of XY Media and Dad 2.0 Summit
A manifesto of work and life for men that aims to be for working fathers what Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In was to working mothers: a cogent analysis of the systemic problems in work culture that make it so difficult to be a parent.
A must read. All In crushes outdated yet powerful stereotypes and—with fresh voices, insightful research and a passionate call to action—offers a more expansive, more hopeful and ultimately more human vision of what it means to be a good man.
Levs says it well: ‘the first months of life have a huge impact on the following years.’ We all benefit when families—moms and dads—get more quality time at home with their kids from the get-go. Let’s go all in to fix the policies that make it so.
All In is an inspired, positive and original approach to the ideal of loving being a father. Josh Levs has touched me. Not literally, but philosophically—as being proud to be a man in our society whose voice can be heard if we simply employ the contents of this wonderful read.
One of the most important books written about fatherhood. Engaging and entertaining, All In should be read by fathers, mothers, CEOs, policy makers, and anyone who cares about improving American society.
A new generation of fathers is joining legions of women in the fight for equality. All In shows how men and women can unite to overcome outdated policies and gender-based stigmas holding them back and make big changes that help families, businesses, and the entire nation.
Dads matter! Josh Levs passionately makes the case that society has marginalized the role of fathers, and it’s time we pay attention to this unbalance. I hope All In leads to a serious national discussion.
Josh Levs leaves virtually no stone unturned in cataloging the state of modern fatherhood, uncovering its game—changing impact on masculinity, relationships, media, marketing, and more. His insights and conclusions will serve as a roadmap to the coming decade of parenting and relationship research, family leave policies, and product marketing efforts.
A manifesto of work and life for men that aims to be for working fathers what Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In was to working mothers: a cogent analysis of the systemic problems in work culture that make it so difficult to be a parent.
…All In does a superb job of showing how we can make positive changes that benefit organizations, employees and their families, and our society.
The changes we need in the workplace—from paid parental leave to additional flexibility and more—will not only be better for families, they’ll also be better for business. Josh Levs lays out a clear and compelling path for how dads can join with moms to make these changes happen.
All In represents the voice of any parent who feels boxed in by gender stereotypes, at home and at the office. Josh’s energetic style and exhaustive research…comprise an important treatise on how to reboot our obsolete instincts and policies toward working parents.
2015-02-17
Using his personal experience as a jumping-off point, journalist and "dad columnist" Levs examines the need for more paternity leave in the United States.When his third child was born, the author wanted time off to be with his family. However, he quickly discovered he would only receive two weeks, unlike others, such as adoptive parents, same-sex partners, and mothers, who would receive 10 weeks. Levs filed a lawsuit and began a serious investigation into the discrepancies between maternal and paternal paid leave. Since an increasing number of fathers are becoming involved in the day-to-day raising of their children, it makes sense that they want to be there during the first critical months of a child's life. But as Lev points out after conducting over "150 hours of interviews" with male workers, the amount of paid leave is far from fair for the new fathers. The author's interviewees "divulge their struggles to find balance, and their thoughts on all the issues that play into the fight for gender equality: work, home life, money, ‘male privilege,' ‘female gatekeeping,' and a lot more." Through his straightforward analysis, Levs shows how the male-female dynamics at home have changed significantly over the past 50 years, while those same forces have not changed in the workplace. Fathers are expected to continue working while new mothers must handle all crises at home on their own, and men who place family before work are often punished and even fired. Levs also considers the issues surrounding absentee fathers, the lack of intimacy for new parents, and finding the mental and spiritual balance needed to continue parenting well during times of extreme emotional and physical stress. His scrutiny and evaluation of paid paternity leave leaves no doubt that the entire infrastructure needs a serious renovation. Well-documented and easy-to-comprehend data on why men need more paid time off to be with their newborn children.
