RICHARD REEVES

Richard brings a fresh perspective to the urgent issues of gender, masculinity & class in today's society. With deep insights & thought-provoking analysis, Reeves inspires audiences to challenge their assumptions & engage in meaningful dialogue about creating a more equitable & inclusive world.

Richard Reeves is President of the American Institute for Boys and Men, an organization with a mission to raise awareness of the problems of boys and men and advocate for effective solutions. His 2022 book, Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It, was described as a "landmark" in The New York Times and named a book of the year by both The Economist and The New Yorker. He is a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, where he previously directed the Future of the Middle-Class Initiative and the Center on Children and Families.

Exclusively represented by BrightSight Speakers bureau, Reeves' previous roles include director of strategy to the UK's Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, from 2010-2012; director of the political think tank Demos; principal policy advisor to the UK's Minister for Welfare Reform; social affairs editor of The Observer; and economics correspondent for The Guardian. In 2017, Politico magazine named him one of the top 50 thinkers in the US. His other books include Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do about It (2017) as well as John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand (2007).

Subscribe to Richard's Substack here. 

Speech topics

Solving the Crisis of our Boys and Men

What is happening with so many of our boys and men? Economists lament inexplicable drops in male labor force participation. Public health officials point to disproportionately male "deaths of despair" from suicide or overdose. Parents see their sons struggling and worry what it means for their future. Ihn a compelling presentation, Richard provides a groundbreaking, personal and engaging  diagnosis of the contemporary male malaise that is pro-equality as well as pro-male. As he says: "We can hold two thoughts in our head at once. We can be passionate about women's rights and compassionate toward vulnerable boys and men." Drawing on years of deep research as well as his personal experience as a father of three sons, Reeves offers a compelling diagnosis of the problems of boys and men-and a bold set of solutions.

Look Me in the Eye: Building a Culture of Respect

Healthy communities run on respect. Respect is the glue holding together organizations, neighborhoods, and whole societies. That is the bold claim of Richard Reeves. Equality of respect is the foundation for all other kinds of equality. How do we know when we have it? "In a society of equal respect," Reeves says, "we can look each other squarely in the eye." In this wide-ranging, passionate talk, Reeves describes how respect gaps open up, and how to close them.

Save the Middle Class, Save the World

The fate of the middle class is the fate of us all, argues Reeves. Drawing on the latest research on economic and social trends, he shows how the middle class is hurting, how that hurt turns to anger and disillusionment, which threatens progress. As Director of the new Future of the Middle Class Initiative at the Brookings Institution, Reeves brings a fresh, birds eye view of the state of and prospects for the middle class.

Books

Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It

Drawing on years of deep research as well as his personal experience as a father of three sons, Reeves offers a compelling diagnosis of the problems of boys and men- as well as a bold set of solutions.

Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It

This fascinating book shows how American society has become the very class-defined society that earlier Americans rebelled against—and what can be done to restore a more equitable society.

All Minus One: John Stuart Mill’s Ideas on Free Speech Illustrated

Reeves (a biographer of Mill) and Haidt (a social psychologist) summarize Mill's three timeless arguments for free speech and the value of viewpoint diversity

John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand

The definitive life of John Stuart Mill, one of the heroic giants of Victorian England.

More Video

Podcast

The motto of Dialogues with Richard Reeves is "thinking together in relationship". This podcast features in-depth, lively conversations with leading thinkers on the big questions facing modern societies. 

Substack

Of Boys and Men

Rising to the challenges faced by the modern male SUBSCRIBE HERE.

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