The Will to Change
Men, Masculinity, and Love
Washington Square Press · Print & ebook · December 21, 2004
From New York Times bestselling author, feminist pioneer, and cultural icon bell hooks, an evergreen treatise on how patriarchy and toxic masculinity hurts us all.
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- Who it’s for
- bell hooks connects patriarchy’s damage to men’s inner lives with the possibility of love.
- Themes
- Patriarchy and toxic masculinity, Emotional repression and expression, Love and intimacy
- Genres
- Men's Studies, Gender Studies, Gender & Sexuality
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For younger readers: Boys Will Be Human, What's Up With Boys?, A Guy's Guide to Life
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Start with this bookAbout this book
From New York Times bestselling author, feminist pioneer, and cultural icon bell hooks, an evergreen treatise on how patriarchy and toxic masculinity hurts us all. Feminist writing did not tell us about the deep inner misery of men. Everyone needs to love and be loved—including men. But to know love, men must be able to look at the ways in which patriarchal culture keeps them from understanding themselves.
Continue reading
In The Will to Change, bell hooks provides a compassionate guide for men of all ages and identities to understand how to be in touch with their feelings, and how to express versus repress the emotions that are a fundamental part of who we are. With trademark candor and fierce intelligence, hooks addresses the most common concerns of men, such as fear of intimacy and loss of their patriarchal place in society, in new and challenging ways. The Will to Change “creates space for men to acknowledge their traumas and heal—not only for their sake, but for the sake of everyone in their lives” (BuzzFeed).
Love, Unlearned
bell hooks connects patriarchy’s damage to men’s inner lives with the possibility of love.
Come here for
- A compassionate account of masculinity, feeling, and intimacy
- Candor about how patriarchal culture narrows men’s emotional lives
Expect
- A direct invitation to examine repression and emotional expression
- Love treated as something men need—and can learn to know
Where it sits
| Gender Studies | 58% |
|---|---|
| Men's Studies | 49% |
| Gender & Sexuality | 42% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- How Cultures Work
- Feminist Theory & Criticism
- Gender Studies
- Authors
- bell hooks
- Publisher
- Washington Square Press
- Published
- December 21, 2004
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Patriarchy and toxic masculinity · Emotional repression and expression · Love and intimacy
- Reading lane
- How Cultures Work