Monday, October 1, 2012

Man Made

Title: Man Made, A Stupid Quest for Masculinity
Author: Joel Stein
Publisher:Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Biographical
Pages:304
On Sale:May 15, 2012



Available On:
Amazon.com 
Indiebound
Barnes and Noble

Authors Website

Synopsis:

The smudge looked suspiciously penis- like. The doctor confirmed: "That's the baby's penis!" which caused not celebration, but panic. Joel pictured having to go camping and fix a car and use a hammer and throw a football and watch professionals throw footballs and figure out whether to be sad or happy about the results of said football throwing.

So begins his quest to confront his effete nature whether he likes it or not (he doesn't), by doing a twenty-four-hour shift with L.A. firefighters, going hunting, rebuilding a house, driving a Lamborghini, enduring three days of boot camp with the U.S. Army, day-trading with $100,000, and going into the ring with UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. Seeking help from a panel of experts, including his manly father-in-law, Boy Scouts, former NFL star Warren Sapp, former MLB All-Star Shawn Green, Adam Carolla, and a pit bull named Hercules, he expects to learn that masculinity is defined not by the size of his muscles, but by the size of his heart (also, technically, a muscle). This is not at all what he learns.

My Take:

An often funny, often serious quest to "learn" what it is to be a "real man".  Joel Stein investigates every avenue he believes will help him be the masculine father figure that his son will need.  What he learns on his journey is not to be missed, whether you are a father, are planning to be a father or even have a father. I really enjoyed the book as evidenced by my highlighted and post-it noted copy.





Disclosure:

I received this book in hardcover format from Grand Central Publishing for reading and reviewing.  I am a member of affiliate programs for both Amazon and Indiebound and earn a small commission from purchases made through links from this site.

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