Self-Made Man

by

electronic resource

English language

Published May 2, 2008 by Penguin USA, Inc..

ISBN:
978-1-4295-1538-2
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4 stars (4 reviews)

A journalist's provocative and spellbinding account of her eighteen months spent disguised as a manNorah Vincent became an instant media sensation with the publication of Self-Made Man, her take on just how hard it is to be a man, even in a man's world. Following in the tradition of John Howard Griffin (Black Like Me), Norah spent a year and a half disguised as her male alter ego, Ned, exploring what men are like when women aren't around. As Ned, she joins a bowling team, takes a high-octane sales job, goes on dates with women (and men), visits strip clubs, and even manages to infiltrate a monastery and a men's therapy group. At once thought- provoking and pure fun to read, Self-Made Man is a sympathetic and thrilling tour de force of immersion journalism.

5 editions

reviewed Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent

Best book I read this year and it's only January

5 stars

One of the most empathetic books I have ever met. Very refreshing reading about being a man in a compassionate way.

"Boys have the sensitivity routinely mocked and shamed and beaten out of them, and the treatment leaves scars for life. Yet we women wonder why, as men, they do not respond to us with more feeling. Actually, we do more than that. We blame and disdain them for their heartlessness. And we aren’t the only ones. Men are at the center of their own conflict. They as much as anyone toughen each other in turn and often find no fault in it, since to do so would be to display an emotional facility that most were long ago denied or forbidden to express."

reviewed Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent

Review of 'Self-Made Man' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I recognize the apparent stereotype-enforcing faults of this book, but I can't say that I disagree with her assessment of her experience. I'd be interested to know if anyone has a better book recommendation on this topic, because Vincent came across as incredibly brave, strong-minded, and reflective in this memoir. It is not meant to be a scientific account, but a social experiment. In her own words, it is "just my view of things, myopic and certainly inapplicable to anything so grand as a pronouncement on gender in American society."

reviewed Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent

Review of 'Self-Made Man' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I wanted to love this, but at the end of the day, Vincent's characterization of men was so unbelievable -- I read passages about how men acted towards each other aloud to my husband, who found them a trite over-simplification. It reveals more of Vincent's misandry than any profound truths about sex and gender.

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4 stars