American Men
Stories of Modern Masculinity
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected 2 Apr 2026
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- £12.99
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- Pre-Order
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- £12.99
Publisher Description
‘A masterclass in empathetic storytelling. With profound sensitivity and unwavering curiosity, he brings us into the lives of men grappling with the silent pressures of masculinity.' - Gilbert King, Pulitzer prize-winning author of Devil in the Grove
From celebrated investigative journalist Jordan Ritter Conn (The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN) comes a fascinating and challenging portrait of modern manhood – as seen through the lens of four American men with vastly different backgrounds and experiences.
Between the weight of expectation and the restrictive force of the patriarchy pressing down on them, it is no wonder that so many men today feel stuck. But these debates on modern manhood often fail to consider the actual lives of men themselves: how do they live their lives day to day? Who do they love? What are their dreams?
Written from the perspectives of four very different men, Ryan, Gideon, Joseph and Nate, American Men explores the male psyche as each of them experiences trauma and recovery, violence, sex, power and powerlessness, as well as the difficulties of forming relationships in the context of contemporary life.
In part a condemnation of its faults, as well as a celebration of its virtues, American Men presents a truthful, balanced portrait of manhood and masculinity, as it exists today.
'Wise, insightful, and harrowing, American Men will leave readers both shattered and inspired’ - Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us, and (with Jodi Picoult) Mad Honey
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This immersive account from Ringer senior staff writer Conn (The Road from Raqqa) profiles four American men whose lives uniquely tangle with an "inherited masculine ideal": Ryan, a gay man from Akwesasne Mohawk territory who struggles to accept his sexuality; Gideon, an "ex-jock" and West Point graduate whose wife cheats on him with his commander; Nate, a Black trans man "wrestling his own body and... fighting for its right to exist"; and Joseph, a law student who experiences sudden flashbacks to repressed childhood sexual abuse. Conn follows his subjects as they wrestle with identity, family conflicts, substance abuse, and mental health challenges, sensitively conveying their "rawest moments," including Joseph witnessing "intrusive images" of his abuser's genitalia when having sex with his wife and Ryan getting in brutal, bloody bar fights as an adult after being ruthlessly bullied as a child. Amid this pain are moments of joy and relief, like Ryan reaching cathartic release via amateur MMA fighting, or Nate's tearful euphoria after top surgery. Conn stops short of making "grand theories" about American men other than citing numerous ways they "lag... behind their female peers" ("more likely to drop out of high school... more likely to die by suicide... more likely to abuse drugs"). Instead, he focuses, to great success, on compassionate storytelling. The result is hard to look away from.
