Savran, David. TAKING IT LIKE A MAN: WHITE MASCULINITY, MASOCHISM, AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN CULTURE. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1998. 382 pages. ISBN 0-691-05876-8 (pbk.)

Savran’s book is an extensive deconstruction of the dark side of the American male’s perceived loss of dominance in his world. This study is a historical analysis, covering roughly the period of the early 50's through the present, of the white American male’s translation of this loss as having left him victimized in a manner comparable to that of the women, people of color, and homosexuals whom he has victimized, as well as presenting arguments positioning minority males as having been victimized and traumatized with the same losses within their spheres. He argues that masculinist movements of all types are fragments of a greater backlash against the political movements for change which a segment of American men, primarily low and middle working class men, perceive as having left them without power. He observes that white supremacists and religious rightist are fragments of this backlash and offers that their radical and violent behaviors are indicative of their frustration at this loss and that the “guy movie” genres in the arts communicate this feeling. The book uses references to media, art and culture, and particularly men’s literature and film including 1950's Beat literature, as well as sociological and psychological sources, with considerable Freudian and some Jungian analysis and reference. The arts, Savran states, are “performance” of the deeper psychological and civil strife endured by men in modern culture. Chapters, "The Divided Self," "Queer Masculinities," offer intensive and far-reaching discourse, stretching the intellectual muscle. Weighted with modern and classical literary and artistic references, the work is a complex academic sociological investigation.

Marlyce Reimers, CSUN, Fall 2000

Seelow, David. “ Loud men: the poetic visions of Robert Bly, Ice Cube, and Etheridge Knight.” The Journal of Men's Studies (Winter 1998): 20 pp. Online. InfoTrac. October 9, 2000.

"This paper describes three poets, Robert Bly, Ice Cube, and Etheridge Knight, and their poetic representations of masculinity. Their works are examined using the theoretical frame of "loudness." Each poet's work exemplifies both a positive quality associated with loudness as well as a dangerous "silence" masked by their respective loudness." (Seelow)

David Seelow compares and contrasts the positive and negative dimensions of the “loudness” each of the three male poets embody. Seelow’s ideal of what the loud male should be is the type of man that “proclaims himself like the Walt Whitman…of "Song of Myself" and articulates the buried feelings American society proscribes for the male.” Bly is considered a “loud male” in that he calls to men to get in touch with their deep masculine and celebrate the wild energy that is associated with it. Bly fails to meet Seelow’s ideal because his call does not encompass men as a whole. The rapper Ice Cube and poet Etheridge Knight pick up where Bly leaves off. The African-American will “uncover only slavery” in his journey to find the free wild man. Ice Cube’s persona embodies the fierce wild man by using rap to spread his radical political messages. Seelow credits rap as the ideal medium because it is “an ancient tradition of oral poetry. Rap is the “voice of affirmation” for the African-American male. However, Ice Cube falls short of the “loud male” ideal because his radical vision elevates the African-American male at the expense of the Anglo-American male. Which translates into a reverse form of racism. Also, his wealth comes into question, while he has had good fortune because of his career, he is still endorsing alcohol to the very community he is trying to help. Lastly, is the poet Etheridge Knight who is voice to the subculture of prison literature. The themes of his works include grief, fatherhood and fierceness which is similar to what Bly wants men to evaluate in their lives. Although, Seelow maintains that an African-American prisoner will never experience those emotions the way a free man can. Hence, they move closer to a culture than a “new man.” Seelow concludes that in order to fit his ideal of the “loud man,” they have to find a common medium between races or the male movement will continue to become more polarized. David Seelow is a professor in the Department of American Studies at SUNY/College at Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY.

Michele C. Linares CSU-Northridge Fall 2000

Segal, Lynne. SLOW MOTION: CHANGING MASCULINITIES, CHANGING MEN. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1990. 396 pages. ISBN 0-8135-1619-6

Slow Motion is a polemic of some of the predominant feminist theories of masculinity that from the 1950's to the 1980's have depicted men as the "problem sex": "From the sex-role theories of the fifties to the studies of gender and power of the eighties, the psychology of men has increasingly come to be seen as one fraught with strain and crisis,” Segal writes. She goes on, "An emphasis on the divergent, inconsistent and contradictory meanings of masculinity now accompanies most research on men." Segal, a professor of psychology examines not only masculinity but different "masculinities.” She feels many men are so attached to the traditional definition of masculinity that they are threatened by what she calls "gay masculinity,” "anti-sexist masculinity" and "Black male masculinity.” By shedding light on the differences between men Segal attempts to show that relations between men and women have improved and will continue to do so. Segal says "Men's resistance to change is not reducible to their psychic obstinacy or incapacity. Men can and do change." Slow Motion is compiled into ten chapters: "Look Back In Anger: Men in the Fifties,” "The Good Father: Reconstructing Fatherhood,” "Shrinking the Phallus: Contemporary Research on Masculinity (I),” "Asserting Phallic Mastery: Contemporary Research on Masculinity (II),” "Competing Masculinities (I): Manliness-The Masculine Ideal:, "Competing Masculinities (II): Traitors to the Cause,” "Competing masculinities (III): Black Masculinity and the White Man's Black Man,” "The Belly of the Beast (I): Sex as Male Domination?,” "The Belly of the Beast (II): Explaining Male Violence,” and "Beyond Gender Hierarchy: Can Men Change?.” The author feels an understanding of "masculinities" will facilitate greater understanding between the sexes.

Yvette Hawkins CSU-Channel Islands Fall 2000

Seidler, Victor J. MAN ENOUGH: EMBODYING MASCULINITIES. London: Sage, 1997. 236 pages. ISBN-7619-5408-2.

In this book, Seidler, a professor of social theory at Goldsmith College, University of London, analyzes and examines the modern views of masculinity in which reason plays an important role. It focuses on how men are not allowed to experience emotions and must instead hide and suppress them from society. Seidler compares and contrasts his work with Robert Bly’s book IRON JOHN. Within each chapter Seidler supports but also criticizes Bly's ideas. Seidler agrees with Bly on how men suffer demeaned portrayals of them by society and also how they have lost the sense of themselves in the feminist movement. Seidler also sides with Bly in his call for the a new definition for masculinity so that men can recognize their own emotional needs and learn to communicate more openly within their intimate relationships. But, he criticizes Bly for his extreme notions and one-sided, generalized views of masculinity through the mythopoetic movement, saying it ignores the man’s relations with women and children. Seidler suggests that to redefine masculinity it is important to take from both the anti-sexist men’s movement and the mythopoetic movement and not keep them separate and distant from one another. He criticizes that it is not enough for men to adopt the old myths as their own, instead, they need to create their own myths in the constantly changing society and they need to share them with each other. Also, Seidler states that Bly’s work is too general and does not account for the class, ethnic and sexual differences among men that keep them separate from one another. He calls for men to learn to listen to their personal inner voice and not the generalized norm. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of being a man, and in each Seidler supports some points of Bly’s IRON JOHN and he refutes other, offering more specific reading. The chapters are: Identities, Authorities, Aspect of Self, Myths of Manhood, Wounds, Initiations, Transitions, Experience, Language, Emotions and Feelings, Relationships, Sexualities, Responsibilities and Spiritual Grounding. At the end of each chapter the author includes notes for the specific topic, including the bibliographical references that are helpful in finding other sources that pertain to the specific subject.

Maria Porazik, CSUN, Fall 2000.

Silverstein, Olga and Beth Rashbaum. THE COURAGE TO RAISE GOOD MEN. New York: Viking Penguin, 1994. 275 pages. ISBN 0-670-84836-0

"How do we raise our boys to be men and what do they lose in the process?" asks Silverstein, a family therapist and Rasbaum. Written from a feminist perspective, the authors argue that our culture tells us only fathers can make a boy a man. Has a mother failed if her son isn't macho? Is this the mother's "fault"? Silverstein and Rashbaum think society answers "yes" to these questions. They go on to deconstruct myths, movies, and the theories of Sigmund Freud and Robert Bly to show how they feel the relationship between mother and son has been shortchanged. The authors feel this has led to a "gender split" that tells boys they must achieve and tells girls they must be relationship guardians. Silverstein and Rashbaum suggest that "transforming the mother-son relationship is the key to ending the division-and the war-between the sexes." Chapter titles include "Cautionary Tales: For Mothers of Sons Ages One to Sex,” "Hero Tales: For Boys Ages Six to Twelve,” "The Myth of the Male Role Model and Other Tales for Changing Times,” "The Adolescent Years: Establishing-and Enforcing-Masculinity,” "Leaving Home: The Young Man's Rite of Passage,” "Men in Relationships,” and "What Do Women Want? What Do Men Need?" Included in The Courage To Raise Good Men are numerous case studies which serve to illustrate the difficulty women face in raising sons.

Yvette Hawkins CSU-Channel Islands Fall 2000

Smalley, Gary and John Trent, MD. THE HIDDEN VALUE OF A MAN: THE INCREDIBLE IMPACT OF A MAN ON HIS FAMILY. Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1994.184 pages. ISBN 1-56179-228-4.

The back cover of this book indicates "If you are a man, you need to read this book," and "If you are a woman, you need to read this book." The authors have given their recipe for better understanding men today based on their clinical experiences and information that has come out of various Men’s Groups that they have founded. The key word "sword" appears in many of the chapter headings and the book goes into quite a lot of detail regarding the concept of the swords that every man is equipped to use. The preface begins with addressing the uneasiness that is seen in men everywhere, since Desert Storm. The authors mention the pent-up anger and frustration that men have been experiencing since Vietnam and they explore the patriotism that exploded during Desert Storm that resulted in flags, bumper stickers and men, in general, feeling good about themselves. The authors explain "Men are awakening from their own personal Vietnam experience of having been browbeaten and ridiculed for just being men by the media and some in the Women’s Movement. For 40 years, men have been pictured by cartoon characters and dinner speakers as dense, unromantic, uncommunicative, uncaring, and on and on." The book also describes that the average man is "demanding, tough, insensitive," and this is proven through an analysis of J.D., a patient they have treated. They explain that J.D. "didn't know that by failing to develop a side of himself that he rarely tapped into, he was setting himself up for a personal day of destruction." J.D. is used as an example of a success story, a man who learned to use one of his two swords, the one many men don't know how to use. The authors explain that one of the swords each man has, is mainly used on the job or in the workplace. It is a sword of "positional power" that wields clout, control, prestige, authority and it is obtained through sweat, grit and hard work. The other sword signifies "personal power" that is comprised of warmth, sensitivity, dependability, determination, genuine compassion, affection, and caring. This sword is ornamental to most men and is something that is given to them at birth, a part of their inheritance. At this point in the book, the authors explain how to create the golden sword, how to use and how to be sure a woman won't hide the sword once it is exposed. It is at this point that the book mentions religion and uses basic biblical principles to teach men about their golden swords. The authors make the point that "being male may be hazardous to your family's health" unless a man learns to use both swords.

Denise Marin Fall 2000 CSUCI

Sommers, Christina Hoff. THE WAR AGAINST BOYS. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. 251 pages. ISBN 0-684-84956-9.

“It’s a bad time to be a boy in America,” Sommers writes in the preface to this Sociological/ Gender Studies work. “As the new millennium begins, the triumphant victory of our women’s soccer team has come to symbolize the spirit of American girls. The defining event for boys is the shooting at Columbine High.” Sommers draws upon extensive research to support her thesis that because of misguided feminism, American society is turning against boys, pathologizing normal boy behavior. She begins in Chapter 1, “Where The Boys Are,” by showing that boys are on the weak side of an educational gender gap. Chapter 2, “Reeducating the Nation’s Boys,” argues that sexual politics, court judgments, and school policies have led to a view of boys as violent and dangerous, in need of reprogramming to be more like girls. In Chapter 3, “Guys & Dolls,” Sommers discusses various gender equity practices designed to make boys in elementary school more nurturing, emotionally expressive, less competitive -- more feminine. In Chapters 4, “Carol Gilligan & the Incredible Shrinking Girl,” and 5, “Gilligan’s Island,” the author attacks and undermines the research of Carol Gilligan. Gilligan’s research has been embraced and promoted by feminists intent on proving that our patriarchal society favors boys at the expense of girls’ self-confidence. Chapter 6, “Save the Males,” takes to task researchers wh promoting the idea that boys, as well as girls, need to be saved from male culture. Chapter 7, “Why Johnny Can’t, Like, Read & Write,” asserts that schools’ shift away from structured classrooms, competition, strict discipline and skill-and fact-based learning has been particularly harmful to boys. In Chapter 8, “The Moral Life of Boys,“ Sommers asserts that it isn’t conventional male socialization that turns boys anti-social or violent, but rather a failure of adults to morally educate their children regardless of gender. The book concludes with "War & Peace," in which the author calls upon the reader's sense of reason and fair play in rejecting reform that has gone too far, asking readers instead to join her in the notion that "one of the more agreeable facts of life is that boys will be boys." Includes extensive endnotes.

Amy Madsen CSUCI Fall 2000