Author: Michael Chabon
Genre: Non-fiction essays
Pages (words): 336 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): ****
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: This book is a collection of essays dealing with the topic of manhood. In them, Chabon tells about living through the divorce of his parents, his relationship with his brother, finding the right woman to marry, and his struggles at being a good father. He also covers general topics, such as the lost freedom of childhood and his difficulties of dealing with religion.
Thoughts: I wasn't sure what to expect from Manhood for Amateurs, but I really liked it a lot. The best part about it was the actual writing; Chabon is a great writer. So, regardless of the subject matter I found it nice just to listen to the book. In addition, I really liked a lot of his insights into the struggles and pleasures of being a man. I didn't really agree with everything in the book, but it was enlightening to read and consider. I particularly liked his thoughts on the lost freedom of childhood. Overall, it was a really nice book, and one I would recommend to both men and women. I would have given the book an extra half star if it had not included a fairly significant section on him losing his virginity, which was neither enlightening nor necessary to the book. I really could have just done without that part--not that it was too graphic, but just not really tasteful, in my view. So, my recommendation is that you skip the portion of the book entitled "Burning Women," and read the rest.
Disclaimer: In addition to the section on losing his virginity, there are also a fair number of swear words in the book.
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