You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
nesbeth22 's review for:
In this collection of surprisingly short essays, Chabon canvasses a number of topics tied to his version of masculinity. Somehow, his essays easily reach me as a female reader--even one about his trouble understanding women. Each essay is surprisingly candid, as the best personal essays usually are. Several are autobiographical anecdotes, describing the struggles of a brother, a son, a father, and a loner, and endowed with the arch air of mythology that Chabon lends all his stories. Of course, the collection abounds with cultural references related to comics/literature, TV, movies, and music. However, Chabon has the unique ability to allude with a part sheepish, part giddy tone that never feels snidely obscure. Rather, his references carry the shyness of a geek who secretly hopes you'll understand his Dalek T-shirt, but might think less of you if you do. The final essay in the collection deals with this topic, the exposure of geeky interest, and redefines the title, _Manhood for Amateurs_, in an unexpected way.
Chabon frequently mentions his sense of isolation, and ways that he has tried, failed, and succeeded in escaping it. One of my favorite sentences encapsulates this theme in the first essay:
"Art, like fandom, asserts the possibility of fellowship in a world built entirely from the materials of solitude."
Chabon frequently mentions his sense of isolation, and ways that he has tried, failed, and succeeded in escaping it. One of my favorite sentences encapsulates this theme in the first essay:
"Art, like fandom, asserts the possibility of fellowship in a world built entirely from the materials of solitude."