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A review by hazelppp
Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man by Thomas Page McBee
5.0
✍️ Beautifully written. I was skeptical about the book before reading, as I had zero interest in boxing. Then I found myself captivated by the author's alluring narrative. He skillfully weaves his journey into the world of boxing with insightful discussions on masculinity (and testosterone), supported by scholarly research. The story also covers his exploration of grief. His writing demystifies boxing, which I previously saw as a violent and domineering sport:
p183 Boxing breaks many of the binaries that men are conditioned to believe about our bodies, our genders, ourselves. With its cover of "realness" and violence, it provides room for what so many men lack: tenderness, and touch, and vulnerability. The narratives we see about boxing matches always start at the ending: two guys in the ring, squaring off. The violence obscures the deeper story, the one about the fighters who see your biggest weakness and teach you how to turn it into an advantage. In gyms all over the world, men are sharing their worst fears, men are asking for help, men are sparring one another with great care.
p183 Boxing breaks many of the binaries that men are conditioned to believe about our bodies, our genders, ourselves. With its cover of "realness" and violence, it provides room for what so many men lack: tenderness, and touch, and vulnerability. The narratives we see about boxing matches always start at the ending: two guys in the ring, squaring off. The violence obscures the deeper story, the one about the fighters who see your biggest weakness and teach you how to turn it into an advantage. In gyms all over the world, men are sharing their worst fears, men are asking for help, men are sparring one another with great care.