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A review by cassianlamb
No One Taught Me How to Be a Man: What a Trans Man's Experience Reveals about Masculinity by Shannon T.L. Kearns
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I received an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think the premise of this book is a good one. The author talks about how he learned healthy masculinity and strives to teach that path to others. He acknowledges there is no singular way to be a man, that it looks different for all of us.
Unfortunately, the execution of his idea leaves a bit to be desired. A lot of this book is repetitive, teaching the same lesson a different way over and over again. While the book is over 200 pages if I remember right, it could probably be half that and still accomplish what Kearns set out to do. Furthermore, while his solutions make sense, his way of reaching them feels a lot like "just stop worrying." That's a lot easier to say than do, and could make the journey to being a better man harder than suggested.
Finally, while I again think the topic of this book is important, I do not think it will reach its target audience. I picked this book up as a trans man myself, and nearly everything discussed in it is something I've discussed with my boyfriend. Those looking for healthy masculinity likely already are aware of most of what's discussed in this book, while those who need it will probably never pick it up.
Overall, it's a good book, but it's not well executed.
I think the premise of this book is a good one. The author talks about how he learned healthy masculinity and strives to teach that path to others. He acknowledges there is no singular way to be a man, that it looks different for all of us.
Unfortunately, the execution of his idea leaves a bit to be desired. A lot of this book is repetitive, teaching the same lesson a different way over and over again. While the book is over 200 pages if I remember right, it could probably be half that and still accomplish what Kearns set out to do. Furthermore, while his solutions make sense, his way of reaching them feels a lot like "just stop worrying." That's a lot easier to say than do, and could make the journey to being a better man harder than suggested.
Finally, while I again think the topic of this book is important, I do not think it will reach its target audience. I picked this book up as a trans man myself, and nearly everything discussed in it is something I've discussed with my boyfriend. Those looking for healthy masculinity likely already are aware of most of what's discussed in this book, while those who need it will probably never pick it up.
Overall, it's a good book, but it's not well executed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Religious bigotry