Customer Reviews

Where Men Hide

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

James Twitchell is a professor of English, and his love of the language definitely shows in "Where Men Hide." His prose is smooth and entertaining, and he seems to take great pleasure in revealing fascinating, little-known etymologies for words which are often quite relevant to whatever he is discussing. He also tells plenty of amusing or interesting anecdotes related to manhood, which are really what make "Where Men Hide" such enjoyable light reading.

However, as Twitchell intended this book as "an architectural folly" - another fun etymological tangent, meaning he basically just intended the book to be amusing - many of the observations he makes about how manhood has changed over the past 100 years or so are not only insightful, but, in my opinion, often right on target. While his final conclusions about manhood are perhaps drearier, and more feminist friendly, than mine might be, his notes along the way are priceless.

I could really go on and on about observations Twitchell made on each space - his chapters on deer camps, barber shops and workshops were among my other favorites - but instead I'll just recommend the book and try not to give away all of its secrets. "Where Men Hide" is a great book to simply have around - it even has pictures - and it's really a great light, easy read for any man. A lot of texts on masculinity are either anti-male or rather pretentious or preachy, and this is none of the above. It was just fun to read and insightful without over-reaching. I'd love to see more books like this out there!

Ken Ross' black and white photos pepper an excellent survey of male habitats and their diminishing appearance and qualities, considering the history of 'virtual caves' men have gone to escape, bond, or conduct business. Major historical and literary figures and their escape routes are considered in a survey of mythical and historical places which considers the past and present of male haunts and retreats. Any library strong in sociology at the college level will find this an important acquisition.

I really enjoyed reading the book - sometimes I reread parts of it. Great book!

Overall, this is an entertaining enough book, with a good fundamental idea, though the writing comes off as academic and self-conscious. That this book was a collaboration between a photographer who'd come up with the idea over the course of a few years and an academic approached to develop a narrative around certain key themes is often very apparent; while many of the photographs, even though reproduced in grainy black and white, are soulful and evocative for any man who has spent time in these "hiding" places, the accompanying text is often very dry, convoluted, and tangential to the respective chapter's topic.