Customer Reviews

The end of Manhood

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

 

 

I throughly disagree with the female reviewer who posted what has, heretofore, been the only review on Amazon of this book.

I'm the Executive Director of the Mariposa Men's Wellness Institute, a nonprofit focused on education and promotion of men's emotional wellness and I can say, unequivocally, that John Stoltenberg's book is one of the 'bibles' of not only my own view of men's wellness, but that of many of my colleagues. Far from trashing men or engaging in muddled thinking, this book lays out, in clear, concise, and thoughtful language, the ways in which "men of conscience" can move beyond the violent, hurtful, and emotionally dysfunctional modeling of American culture to a more emotionally nurturant, socially aware, feminist view of the world. John Stoltenberg has, like many males, been exposed to images of maleness that are hurtful to themselves, other males, their significant partners, women, children, and the world at large, and he exposes those messages in a manner that makes clear that, not only are they not in the interests of much of anybody, but continuing to indulge in them will only bring further destruction to our culture and our planet. He lays out, in a very utilitarian manner, the steps males can take move beyond "I'm the guy and therefore whatever I say goes" [which is a distinction outgrowth of traditional patriarchal culture] to engage in what he terms "loving justice".

John Stoltenberg is not talking about the 'end of men', he arguing for the end of the classic patriarchal imagery of manhood that serves the interests of no one. I can't recommend this book highly enough. All men who care about the value of being a social responsible man and all women who care about engaging in positive, feminist professional and/or intimate relations with such men, should read this book.

John Stoltenberg
The End of Manhood:
A Book for Men of Conscience

(New York: Dutton, 1993) 311 pages

Stoltenberg criticizes the regrettable aspects of the conventional
'masculine' personality, such as being macho, violent, tough, insensitive.
He believes that these are false images put upon men.
And if they will tune-in to their 'true selves',
something wonderful will emerge.
The book is repetitious, abstract, & superficial,
but it might be a place for some men to begin.

If you would like to discover better books on this subject,
search the Internet for the following bibliography:
"Best Books on Gender-Personality".

James Leonard Park, creator of the Gender-Pattern Chart.

Reviewed by a woman. I struggled through the first thirty pages, but could not get through the bad writing. He distorts the concept of manhood assuming it to be the most negative and degenerate form of masculinity, and then goes ahead to "deconstruct" it. Man-haters will love it, men searching for the meaning of manhood will waste their time with it.