"FOX & Friends" co-host Lawrence Jones says purpose of new book is to ‘defend manhood’
"American Man: Speaking The Truth About The War On Masculinity" aims to combat the liberal notion that masculinity is toxic.
"FOX & Friends" co-host Lawrence Jones’ new book, "American Man: Speaking The Truth About The War On Masculinity," aims to combat the liberal notion that masculinity is toxic, and puts a spotlight on the importance of crucial role traditional men play in a thriving society.
"When I wrote ‘American Man,’ the purpose was to defend manhood," Jones told Fox News Digital as he headed to the airport for an exclusive interview with Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.
Jones, who joined "FOX & Friends" on a permanent basis last month after previously serving as the hit morning show’s enterprise reporter, has spent years traveling across America for Fox News Channel, and he’s noticed an alarming trend.
"Manhood is under attack right now from society," he said, adding that "American Man: Speaking The Truth About The War On Masculinity" is not an attack on women.
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"American Man: Speaking The Truth About The War On Masculinity" is available now.
"The book was written to appreciate femininity as well as masculine men," Jones said. "I interviewed people that I respected that are strong man, that are strong fathers. And I hope this is a guide, not only for young men, but for young women that are looking for husbands and what they hope… their sons would achieve as well. So, we talk about a lot of things in the book, and I just hope it's some sort of a guide."
Jones believes that woke ideology has made it so that many on the left believe masculinity is toxic. But he doesn’t think everyone from the left feels that way, but loud voices from academia and other radical progressives have set the tone.
"I think the average Democrat woman wants a strong man. I think they appreciate manhood, but I think they have allowed, like many other things, for the party and their movement to be hijacked," Jones said. "I talk about this in the book, some of the things that they're suggesting doesn't make sense."
Jones doesn’t buy into the notion that just because a woman "can" do something means she "should" do it.
"I wouldn't dare say a woman doesn't have the capability to change a tire or open up a door. But should she? Should we be splitting tabs 50/50 when the man asked the woman on the date? It just doesn't make sense to me," Jones said. "And it's not to shun women to say, ‘They're less than,’ it is what we're supposed to do as men."
At 30 years old, Jones is the youngest Black co-host in cable news. He has been focused on his career and doesn’t have children yet, but feels it’s hard to raise a "traditional man" these days. Jones feels certain standards and principals that used to be reinforced in schools, and by other people in your child’s life, have gone by the wayside.
"You teach them one thing, and then when you send them off to school… society is working against everything that you've taught them. So, it is tough -- not just to raise a man but to raise young females as well. This is why we have to be so firm on it," Jones said. "We can’t expect society to back us up. It’s up to us to establish that strong foundation into them."
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Jones called writing his first book a "huge challenge," because he was still traveling the country three or four days per week for his TV gig. He wrote most of it on planes, and ultimately found it therapeutic because it gave him an opportunity to reflect on his own childhood.
"I thought that my dad was too tough. As I talked to other men, I realized that my dad was kind of in line with other successful men" Jones said. "So, there's a lot of connective tissue from my life and the other influence men that I interview in the book."
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"American Man: Speaking The Truth About The War On Masculinity" features never-before-shared interviews with Jones’ Fox News colleagues Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Pete Hegseth, and Will Cain, along with conservatives like former NFL player Ben Watson and actor Dean Cain. In fact, it was a conversation with Cain that sparked the idea for the book in the first place.
"We were talking about the manhood things and how I grew up. And he said, ‘You know, your dad sounds a lot like me as a father. And I wonder if my kids have the same view of me as you have of your father,’" Jones recalled. "And so it really led me to write the book."
While the book is about the "American Man," Jones is well aware that the majority of his social media followers are women.
"This book is also for females. I want the ‘American Man’ to be her man. I want the ‘American Man’ to be her son. So, I don't want people to look at this book and say, ‘This book is just for men, just a defense of the manhood,’" Jones said. "Most women want a strong man. They don't want someone that’s soft. They don't want someone that is weak. They want someone that is capable of defending them, loving them, providing for them. So, I hope this is a love letter to women as well."
"American Man: Speaking The Truth About The War On Masculinity" is available now.
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