Books about Masculinity

  1. For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women

    by Shaunti Feldhahn
    A guide for men to understand the inner workings of women, providing insights into their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

    “Shaunti and Jeff have unearthed a treasure chest of insights—eye-opening and life-changing.”,—Andy Stanley, senior pastor, North Point Community Church, Finally, you, can, understand her!, If you’re ... (Barnes & Noble)

  2. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway

    by Ernest Hemingway
    Collection of short stories depicting the human experience in all its complexities.

    THE ONLY COMPLETE COLLECTION BY THE NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR In this definitive collection of Ernest Hemingway's short stories, readers will delight in the author's most beloved classics such as ... (Goodreads)

  3. Fight Club

    by Chuck Palahniuk
    A man's journey of self-discovery and transformation, challenging the status quo of society.

    Fight Club centers on an anonymous narrator , who works as a product recall specialist for an unnamed car company. Because of the stress of his job and the jet lag brought upon by frequent business ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Naked and the Dead

    by Norman Mailer
    Based on WWII, a journey of a platoon of soldiers in the Pacific theater as they confront death and the harsh realities of war.

    The novel is divided into four parts: Wave; Argil and Mold; Plant and Phantom; and Wake. Within these parts are chorus sections, consisting of play-like dialogue between characters, as well as Time ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Sun Also Rises

    by Ernest Hemingway
    A group of expatriates in 1920s Europe, struggling to come to terms with the aftermath of WWI.

    On the surface, the novel is a love story between the protagonist Jake Barnes—a man whose war wound has made him unable to have sex—and the promiscuous divorcée usually identified as Lady Brett ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Confessions of a Mask

    by Yukio Mishima
    A young man's inner turmoil as he struggles to reconcile his true self with society's expectations.

    The protagonist is referred to in the story as Kochan, which is the diminutive of the author's real name: Kimitake. Being raised during Japan's era of right-wing militarism and Imperialism, he ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Glue

    by Irvine Welsh
    A gritty portrait of characters struggling with poverty, addiction, and violent crime in Edinburgh.

    Glue is the story of four boys growing up in the Edinburgh schemes, and about the loyalties, the experiences - and the secrets - that hold them together into their thirties. Four boys becoming men: ... (Goodreads)

  8. Ham on Rye

    by Charles Bukowski
    A semi-autobiographical novel following a young man's struggles with poverty, violence and mental illness.

    The novel focuses on the protagonist, Henry Chinaski, between the years of 1920 and 1941. , It begins with Chinaski's early memories. As the story progresses the reader follows his life through the ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

    by David Foster Wallace
    Collection of stories exploring male relationships and the complexities of human behavior.

    In his startling and singular new short story collection, David Foster Wallace nudges at the boundaries of fiction with inimitable wit and seductive intelligence. Venturing inside minds and ... (Goodreads)

  10. Wild at Heart Revised and Updated: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul

    by John Eldredge
    A guide to help men discover their true purpose and become the wild, passionate men of God they were meant to be.

    God designed men to be dangerous, says John Eldredge. Simply look at the dreams and desires written in the heart of every boy: To be a hero, to be a warrior, to live a life of adventure and risk. ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists

    by Neil Strauss
    Journey of a journalist exploring the world of "pickup artists" and the seduction techniques they use.

    Hidden somewhere, in nearly every major city in the world, is an underground seduction lair. And in these lairs, men trade the most devastatingly effective techniques ever invented to charm women. ... (Goodreads)

  12. Bringing Up Boys

    by James C. Dobson
    A guide for parents on raising boys, covering topics such as discipline, education, and the unique challenges of boyhood.

    2002 Gold Medallion Award winner! Sensible advice and caring encouragement on raising boys from the nation's most trusted parenting expert, Dr.James Dobson. With so much confusion about the role of ... (Goodreads)

  13. Hell's Angels

    by Hunter S. Thompson
    A journalist's daring exploration of the wild and dangerous world of the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang.

    Au début des années soixante, Thompson, alors journaliste à San Francisco, est fasciné par les Hell's Angels. Son article sur ces seigneurs de la route fait sensation, il se lance dans la version ... (Goodreads)

  14. Brian's Hunt

    by Gary Paulsen
    A young boy's journey of self-discovery and survival in the wilds of the North.

    Brian, who is now sixteen years old, is canoeing through the Canadian wilderness. He realizes that the woods are now his home and he will never be happy in modern society with its noise , pollution, ... (Wikipedia)

  15. Deliverance

    by James Dickey
    Four friends embark on a dangerous river rafting journey, facing unexpected perils.

    Narrated in the first person by Ed Gentry, a graphic artist and one of the four main characters, the novel opens with him and three friends, all middle-aged men who live in a large city in Georgia, ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Hot Water Music

    by Charles Bukowski
    A collection of Bukowski's works exploring themes of love, death, and the human experience.

    With his characteristic raw and minimalist style, Charles Bukowski takes us on a walk through his side of town in, Hot Water Music,. He gives us little vignettes of depravity and lasciviousness, bite ... (Goodreads)

  17. Brokeback Mountain

    by Annie Proulx
    Forbidden love between two cowboys exploring their sexuality and emotions in a hostile environment.

    Annie Proulx has written some of the most original and brilliant short stories in contemporary literature, and for many readers and reviewers, "Brokeback Mountain" is her masterpiece. Ennis del Mar ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Sea Wolf

    by Jack London
    A man's fight against the savage and untamed elements of nature on a brutal ship voyage.

    The Sea-Wolf is a 1904 psychological adventure novel by Jack London about a literary critic Humphrey van Weyden.The story starts with him aboard a San Francisco ferry, called Martinez, which collides ... (Goodreads)

  19. King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine

    by Robert L. Moore
    A psychological analysis of the four archetypes of mature masculinity and how they can be integrated for personal growth and development.

    The corporate "yes man," the wife-beater, the hot-shot male junior executive and the emotionally distant father are all boys pretending to be men, observe the authors of this liberating guide to ... (Goodreads)

  20. This Is How You Lose Her

    by Junot Díaz
    A collection of stories about young love, heartache, and the struggle to find one's place in the world.

    On a beach in the Dominican Republic, a doomed relationship flounders. In the heat of a hospital laundry room in New Jersey, a woman does her lover’s washing and thinks about his wife. In Boston, a ... (Goodreads)

  21. Ball Four

    by Jim Bouton
    A candid account of the life of a professional baseball player, exposing the realities of the sport.

    Twentieth-anniversary edition of a baseball classic, with a new epilogue by Jim Bouton. When first published in 1970, Ball Four stunned the sports world. The commissioner, executives, and players ... (Goodreads)

  22. Butcher's Crossing

    by John Williams
    An adventure tale of a young man in the American West, searching for a place to belong.

    William Andrews, a Harvard student in the early 1870s, , is not happy with the mundanities of everyday life. After becoming inspired by the poetry and philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson, , he decides ... (Wikipedia)

  23. Men Without Women

    by Haruki Murakami
    Collection of stories exploring the experiences of men coping with loneliness and isolation.

    A dazzling new collection of short stories—the first major new work of fiction from the beloved, internationally acclaimed, Haruki Murakami since his #1 best-selling Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Thin Man

    by Dashiell Hammett
    A retired detective called to investigate a mysterious murder.

    The story is set in New York City in December 1932, in the last days of Prohibition. The main characters are a former private detective , Nick Charles and Nora, his clever young wife. Nick, son of a ... (Wikipedia)

  25. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

    by Tucker Max
    A fratboy's outrageous misadventures through college life and beyond.

    The Book That Inspired The Movie, My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole. I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Way of the Superior Man: A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire

    by David Deida
    A spiritual guide to mastering the challenges of relationships, work, and sexuality.

    Though much has changed in society since the first publication of The Way of the Superior Man , men of all ages still "tussle with the challenges of women, work, and sexual desire." Including an ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. Assholes Finish First

    by Tucker Max
    A comedic exploration of modern dating and relationships.

    From the Tucker Max website: What do you do when you've become rich and famous for writing a #1 best-selling book about your drunken, sexual misadventures? I'll tell you what I do: I write another ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Great Santini

    by Pat Conroy
    A family's psychological struggles centered around a domineering, military father.

    Hard-nosed Marine fighter pilot Lt. Col. Wilbur "Bull" Meecham calls himself "The Great Santini". He runs his family with a strict hand. In 1962 before the Vietnam War , the Meecham family struggles ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Portnoy's Complaint

    by Philip Roth
    A young Jewish man's exploration of his own identity and the nature of his relationships.

    The famous confession of Alexander Portnoy, who is thrust through life by his unappeasable sexuality, yet held back at the same time by the iron grip of his unforgettable childhood. Hilariously ... (Goodreads)

  30. For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men

    by Shaunti Feldhahn
    A study of the inner emotional lives of men, providing insight into how they think and feel.

    Discover the Truth He Wants You to Know... The man in your life carries important feelings so deep inside he barely knows they’re there, much less how to talk about them. Yet your man genuinely wants ... (Barnes & Noble)

  31. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love

    by bell hooks
    A critical analysis of masculinity and its impact on men's emotional lives, relationships, and society as a whole.

    Everyone needs to love and be loved – even men. But to know love, men must be able to look at the ways that patriarchal culture keeps them from knowing themselves, from being in touch with their ... (Goodreads)

  32. I Am Not Myself These Days

    by Josh Kilmer-Purcell
    A young man's journey of self-discovery and acceptance in an open relationship.

    The New York Times bestselling, darkly funny memoir of a young New Yorker's daring dual life—advertising art director by day, glitter-dripping drag queen and nightclub beauty-pageant hopeful by ... (Goodreads)

  33. King Kong Theory

    by Virginie Despentes
    A candid and controversial exploration of gender, power and sexuality.

    J’écris de chez les moches, pour les moches, les frigides, les mal baisées, les imbaisables, toutes les exclues du grand marché à la bonne meuf, aussi bien que pour les hommes qui n’ont pas envie ... (Goodreads)

  34. The Tender Bar: A Memoir

    by J.R. Moehringer
    An intimate look at an unconventional family and the power of storytelling.

    In the grand tradition of landmark memoirs - a classic American story of self-invention and escape, of the fierce love between a single mother and an only son, it's also a moving portrait of one ... (Goodreads)

  35. Post Office

    by Charles Bukowski
    A poetic and darkly humorous narrative about a man's struggles with poverty and loneliness.

    In Los Angeles, California , down-and-out barfly Henry Chinaski becomes a substitute mail carrier ; he quits for a while and lives on his winnings at the race track, then becomes a mail clerk. ... (Wikipedia)

  36. The Lords of Discipline

    by Pat Conroy
    A young man's struggle to survive the brutal hazing rituals of a Southern military college.

    Will McLean, returning to the Carolina Military Institute in Charleston, South Carolina an unknown number of years after his graduation, tells the story of his life at the Institute. In 1966, Will ... (Wikipedia)

  37. Manhood for Amateurs

    by Michael Chabon
    A collection of essays exploring the complexities and contradictions of modern masculinity, from fatherhood to pop culture.

    The Pulitzer Prize-winning author–"an immensely gifted writer and a magical prose stylist" (Michiko Kakutani,, New York Times,)--offers his first major work of nonfiction, an autobiographical ... (Goodreads)

  38. Hondo

    by Louis L'Amour
    A Western adventure of a man on a quest for justice in the Wild West.

    In 1870, at a remote ranch in Arizona , homesteader Angie Lowe ( Geraldine Page ) and her six-year-old son Johnny ( Lee Aaker ) are performing chores at their ranch when a stranger ( John Wayne ) ... (Wikipedia)

  39. The End of Eddy

    by Édouard Louis
    Autobiographical novel revealing the oppression and social exclusion experienced by an impoverished rural French family.

    The most talked-about European novel since My Struggle —a sexually frank, brutally honest coming-of-age story “Every morning in the bathroom I would repeat the same phrase to myself over and over ... (Goodreads)

  40. Men Without Women

    by Ernest Hemingway
    Collection of short stories exploring the lives of men and their struggles with love, loss, and loneliness.

    CLASSIC SHORT STORIES FROM THE MASTER OF AMERICAN FICTION First published in 1927, Men Without Women represents some of Hemingway's most important and compelling early writing. In these fourteen ... (Goodreads)

  41. No More Mr. Nice Guy

    by Robert A. Glover
    A journey to reclaim lost masculinity and create healthier relationships with emotions and women.

    Originally published as an e-book that became a controversial media phenomenon, No More Mr. Nice Guy! landed its author, a certified marriage and family therapist, on The O'Reilly Factor and the Rush ... (Goodreads)

  42. Rumble Fish

    by S.E. Hinton
    Rusty-James, a teenage gang member, struggles to find his place in the world and live up to his older brother's reputation.

    Rusty-James runs into his old friend, Steve Hays, at the beach. It has been five years since they last saw each other. Steve is in college and Rusty is not long out of the reformatory . When Steve ... (Wikipedia)

  43. Iron John: A Book About Men

    by Robert Bly
    A poetic exploration of masculinity, using the Grimm fairy tale "Iron John" as a metaphor for the journey towards authentic manhood.

    In this deeply learned book, poet and translator Robert Bly offers nothing less than a new vision of what it is to be a man.Bly's vision is based on his ongoing work with men and reflections on his ... (Goodreads)

  44. How Not To Be a Boy

    by Robert Webb
    A humorous yet poignant look at the expectations of men and the search for self-acceptance.

    Rules for being a man: Don't Cry; Love Sport; Play Rough; Drink Beer; Don't Talk About Feelings But Robert Webb has been wondering for some time now: are those rules actually any use? To anyone? ... (Goodreads)

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