In 2019 (the year the first edition of this book was published), traditional masculinity is both rewarded and sanctioned. Men grow up being told that boys don’t cry and dolls are for girls (a newer phenomenon than you might realize—gendered toys came back in vogue as recently as the 80s). Men learn they must hide their feelings and anxieties, that their masculinity must constantly be proven. They must be the breadwinners, they must be the romantic pursuers. This hasn’t been good for the culture at large: 99% of school shooters are male; men in fraternities are 300% (!) more likely to commit rape; a woman serving in uniform has a higher likelihood of being assaulted by a fellow soldier than to be killed by enemy fire.

In For the Love of Men, Liz Plank offers a smart, insightful, and deeply-researched guide for what we all can do about toxic masculinity. For the Love of Men will aid the conversation on men's issues in a society where so much is changing, but gender roles have remained strangely stagnant.

9781250757203, paperback