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pocketvolcano's review
5.0
Absolutely fascinating. I had no idea of the struggles that non-normative gender teenagers faced in high school. This was an eye opener, there is still a ton of work to do. A definite must-read.
iamdeonna's review
4.0
I read this book for a Sociology of Gender class and thoroughly enjoyed it. The author had great insights bacsed on her observations. I would recommend it for folks wanting to know more about usually overlooked effect gender has on us.
sarahc_v's review against another edition
4.0
This was really interesting! I went to high school in the early 2010's so it was interesting to hear about the experiences a decade prior to mine to see how much had changed just in that short timeframe, and I would be fascinated to see an updated version for today in the 2020s. But I thought it was really interesting to see how these high school boys were more interested in performing masculinity than heterosexuality and the ties between those as well as race and class. Definitely an interesting listen and I'm glad I finally got around to it!
nataliacdd's review against another edition
Tbh i skimmed the last 30 pages, but this is for school. I am just trying to write an 8-page paper about this book, so I can submit it by tomorrow.
That being said, I think that the discourse in this book about homophobic and heteronormativity in high school specifically was very interesting and definitely worth the read. I'm lucky to say that I didn't necessarily go to a very homophobic or heterosexist high school like River High, though that's not to say that my high school was perfect in this regard, because it definitely wasn't. All in all, good book, I just hate being forced to read things for school. Which is funny because one of my majors is English.... that is all
(No rating, because of educational purposes).
That being said, I think that the discourse in this book about homophobic and heteronormativity in high school specifically was very interesting and definitely worth the read. I'm lucky to say that I didn't necessarily go to a very homophobic or heterosexist high school like River High, though that's not to say that my high school was perfect in this regard, because it definitely wasn't. All in all, good book, I just hate being forced to read things for school. Which is funny because one of my majors is English.... that is all
(No rating, because of educational purposes).
bbqrplanting's review
4.0
I didn't really have any major problems with this book. I even had a hard time thinking of critiques for my class, which is rare. I would maybe give it 4.5 stars if that was possible. I think I just can't give it 5 stars because I wasn't super invested in the book, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps because the material was sort of old news for me. Perhaps not. Definitely worth a read though.
bean_mcmachine's review
4.0
This was tremendous. As an educator and a someone who was socialized as a cis male this was true and continues to be relevant to education in America. There is an unfortunate truth at play in this book but Pascoe offers reasonable solutions to re-socialize and reeducate the youth to avoid the misogyny and homophobia/transphobia that permeates youth spaces. A fantastic read.
efcraig's review
5.0
Pascoe's book should be required reading material for educators and administrators in adolescent public schools. While some of the material Pascoe presented was adding on to prior knowledge, I was enlightened (and at many times, enraged) at the additional information she gave. The discussions of masculinity in relation to race as well as the chapter on "girls who act like guys" were both very eye-opening and gave me incentive to research these topics more. However, it was flat-out enraging to see that the educators and administration at "River High" (the altered name for the school where Pascoe did her research) did absolutely nothing to combat the overwhelming homophobic and hyper-masculine culture that was running rampant at their school, and in fact, many times catered to it. This book has given me much more to think about as I continue on my journey to become an educator and how I look at and think about my students, which is always a good thing. A highly recommended read!
yetilibrary's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fascinating study of masculinity & sexuality. Although this study is small--Pascoe conducted it at only one US high school--I think the environment and phenomena she documents will be familiar to most (if not all) people who went to high school here in the US, and I think many of us will recognize ourselves in the students she speaks with. The picture she creates is therefore very familiar, but also extremely disturbing, and I hope it will cause parents and educators to reexamine how we raise our kids (our sons in particular) and how we socialize them.
To back up a bit, when the title mentions "masculinity and sexuality," what's referred to here is what Pascoe terms "f*g culture" (I'm not typing that word out, deal with it). "F*g culture" is a mix of toxic masculinity and homophobia--it is not merely homophobia; there is a strongly gendered component here--that is often marked by the "f*g" epithet. Through this lens, Pascoe can examine not only homophobia OR toxic masculinity, but see how they interact and feed on each other. She also points out how US high schools ritualize and enforce heterosexuality, which is something I'd never considered but is absolutely correct. There is, of course, also a racial (and racist!) dimension to how all this plays out, and she makes note of that as well.
This is a fairly short book, but it is excellent, and if you are an educator or a parent, I'd urge you in particular to check this out. It is disturbing--both in terms of the overall picture and in terms of some specific, graphic language and events--but if you can manage it, it is worth your time.
To back up a bit, when the title mentions "masculinity and sexuality," what's referred to here is what Pascoe terms "f*g culture" (I'm not typing that word out, deal with it). "F*g culture" is a mix of toxic masculinity and homophobia--it is not merely homophobia; there is a strongly gendered component here--that is often marked by the "f*g" epithet. Through this lens, Pascoe can examine not only homophobia OR toxic masculinity, but see how they interact and feed on each other. She also points out how US high schools ritualize and enforce heterosexuality, which is something I'd never considered but is absolutely correct. There is, of course, also a racial (and racist!) dimension to how all this plays out, and she makes note of that as well.
This is a fairly short book, but it is excellent, and if you are an educator or a parent, I'd urge you in particular to check this out. It is disturbing--both in terms of the overall picture and in terms of some specific, graphic language and events--but if you can manage it, it is worth your time.