dilfpercyshelley 's review for:

The New Masculinity by Alex Manley

1.5

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This did not land for me at all. I understand the attempt but I fear that this is all extremely basic shit that everybody who is going to realistically pick up this book already knows. and if you are a deeply sexist man who doesn’t, you aren’t going to be reading this book on how to be better. all of the author’s points have been said before many times in many decades prior to the release of this novel and, unfortunately, Manley’s text adds very little (if anything) of importance to the conversation. 

Whilst Manley does touch on some agreeable (albeit exceedingly basic) feminist points, there were some sections I found bizarre and unnecessary. The constant need to insert themselves into the points with personal narratives was often entirely unhelpful and came across as the author wanting a pat on the head for doing the bare minimum. The author also goes on to say that if the women in your life haven’t opened up to you about their sexual assault, it means they don’t trust you. this is such an incredible overgeneralisation and just not true. Many women just….don’t want to talk about it. Maybe that is because they don’t trust you, but it could be (and most likely will be) that they will never talk to you about it no matter how much they trust you.

Additionally, as a couple of side notes: 
- the section on why it’s “a little bit gay” to enjoy anal fascinated me. as a non binary person, surely the author realises that trans women exist….hell even straight women with strap ons exist! I hate to break it to you, but to have sex with a woman as a man is not even remotely gay. 

- As the novel began, the author mocked Jordan Peterson and his ‘12 Rules for Life’ (and rightly so, he’s a knob) but then later, seemingly with no explanation of their sudden change of heart, happily quotes and agrees with that exact Peterson text twice. bizarre, inconsistent, and unhelpful. 

- And finally, a silly gripe, the author also boldly states that “It honestly feels like many guys are afraid to acknowledge that they even poop at all” which is the mostly incredibly false bit of information I have ever read. Guys talk about shitting ALL THE TIME. What are you TALKING ABOUT.

Considering this novel was aimed at helping misogynistic cis guys, it did a great job at patting them on the back for the bare minimum and saying “boo-hoo poor men” when women are noted to be successful. Unfortunately, it was clear from both the novel and the majority of reviews that begin “I am not the intended audience but….”, that this book was not going to work as intended.