466 reviews for:

Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man

Thomas Page McBee

4.25 AVERAGE

kay___m's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

caleb_makes's review against another edition

3.75

inspiring reflective medium-paced

cnnr876's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous informative inspiring fast-paced

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a powerful and succinct meditation on masculinity told through the lens of transness and boxing. i was really taken by mcbee's narration and insights around toxic and modern masculinity. will definitely stay with me!

eaking's review

3.5

challenging emotional informative fast-paced

minaminamina's review

5.0

hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

mitchelburnell's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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I never would’ve expected to learn so much about my own masculinity and manhood from a book about a trans man learning how to box. Thomas is an incredible writer who weaves emotion into every sentence in a way that makes something as unrelated to me as boxing feel like I’m right there in the moment.

vivian_m_anderson's review

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read for gender studies elective at lakeside!

kirsten0929's review

4.0

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[2018] A trans man training for a charity boxing fight and exploring violence, his relationship to men - and women for that matter - what it means to be a man, and more. Part personal, part universal. Originally a story written for Quartz, for whom he worked, that turned into this book. I tend to raise an eyebrow when a writer creates a specific goal or mission or challenge just so they can write about it, but that said, I also often really like those stories anyway. So many difficult questions raised, some answered, some not - because, let's face it, this is some pretty complex, multilayered sh*t - but I always felt that they were being explored openly and honestly. Can't ask for more than that.

the_reading_wren's review

4.5

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

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Really important read for anyone scared of their own masculinity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism

batbaby's review against another edition

3.0

hopeful informative medium-paced