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j_c_a's review against another edition
It's very repetitive/using a lot of words to say very little of substance and after 115 pages I'm still not sure what point the author is really trying/going to make.
stapilus's review against another edition
4.0
Kimmel occasionally lets his ideas run over his facts, or run into conflict with each other. But not often, and there's a lot of useful material in here. I've long thought much of the anger on the right comes out of gender role changes and issues, and Kimmel provides a lot of good ammunition for that idea.
jedwardsusc's review against another edition
3.0
I went back and forth while reading this book. One can't really blame the author for not foreseeing the 2016 white nationalist resurgence. Nevertheless, the book feels dated in its optimism. There are some interesting insights, and the book is worth reading. But the author seems convinced that all these men are on the verge of dropping their white-supremest narratives and joining a new FDR-style government if someone could just explain to them the notion of class. The book would be much stronger if it had given more consideration to the means by which this "explaining" could take place.
andipants's review against another edition
DNF at p. 168. There's a lot of good stuff in here, but for me it's the wrong book at the wrong time. Had I read it when it was first published in 2013, I probably would have found it eye-opening, or at the very least thought-provoking. The through-line Kimmel traces from school shooters to MRAs to domestic abusers and more is certainly important, and he (rightfully) keeps coming back to the idea that, while many of these men have legitimate things to be angry about, they are, critically, directing their anger at the exact wrong targets. Feminism actually sympathizes with and addresses many of the underlying problems these men experience, but feminists are caricatured and villified and turned instead into the enemy. Instead of joining with women and minorities and agitating for economic change and systemic justice, they blame those just below them on the economic ladder, allowing the power-brokers to divide and conquer (the Marxist argument for class consciousness and solidarity is never made explicit, but the subtext is certainly there).
I agree very much with almost all of what is here, and like I said, had I read this book six years ago, it probably would have been a five-star read. Now though, I've already read a lot on this issue in other places, and at this point for me it's just tiring. However, if you've not read a ton of discourse on masculinity, this might be a very good starting place for you. Kimmel's portrait is not unsympathetic, but he pulls no punches when it comes to pointing out fallacies and hypocrisies. For anyone unfamiliar with (or hostile to) the idea of toxic masculinity, this book thoroughly introduces the concept without once using that phrase (which I don't think had gained much cultural traction yet in 2013). And if you're somebody who uses the #NotAllMen hashtag unironically, this is definitely where you need to be.
I agree very much with almost all of what is here, and like I said, had I read this book six years ago, it probably would have been a five-star read. Now though, I've already read a lot on this issue in other places, and at this point for me it's just tiring. However, if you've not read a ton of discourse on masculinity, this might be a very good starting place for you. Kimmel's portrait is not unsympathetic, but he pulls no punches when it comes to pointing out fallacies and hypocrisies. For anyone unfamiliar with (or hostile to) the idea of toxic masculinity, this book thoroughly introduces the concept without once using that phrase (which I don't think had gained much cultural traction yet in 2013). And if you're somebody who uses the #NotAllMen hashtag unironically, this is definitely where you need to be.
mandler_'s review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Rounded up to 4 stars
An interesting look into some of the reasons for the anger that is expressed by many men--primarily those who are white. This book was written in 2013, so it's definitely an interesting look into the feelings that then inspired and successfully allowed for Donald Trump and the MAGA crowd to be such a large, influential, and loud part of American politics now. I got bored in some parts and I think the author repeated himself too often, but it was a good read.
Rounded up to 4 stars
An interesting look into some of the reasons for the anger that is expressed by many men--primarily those who are white. This book was written in 2013, so it's definitely an interesting look into the feelings that then inspired and successfully allowed for Donald Trump and the MAGA crowd to be such a large, influential, and loud part of American politics now. I got bored in some parts and I think the author repeated himself too often, but it was a good read.
storytimed's review against another edition
3.0
This was... fine? Written before Trump so did not age super well and didn't really tell me anything new or surprising. Probably quite good for its time/as a 101 work maybe?