Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #759658 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Review
"Mass-market paperback outing for the most talked about book of 2006: 'an addictive, enthralling read' (Viv Groskop, Observer) * 'Intelligent, articulate and perceptive... one of the most sympathetic renderings of masculinity you're likely to read.' Lionel Shriver, The Guardian * 'Funny, compelling and human' The Times * 'This captivating account will forever change the way you see men - and perhaps yourself' Marie Claire * 'Thoughtful, entertaining...fascinating' New York Times Book Review 'Beautifully written... a brave and fascinating book.' Christopher Hart, Sunday Times"

Lionel Shriver, Guardian
‘Intelligent, articulate and perceptive... one of the most sympathetic renderings of masculinity you’re likely to read.'

Viv Groskop, Observer
‘An addictive, enthralling read… breathtaking.'

Customer Reviews

She's The Man!
I'm a man. Norah Vincent understands men as well as any woman (and most men) I've ever met or read, and I've been in a men's group, read much of the literature. She writes with verve, humour and ultimately sympathy, skillfully dissecting the nuances of male behaviour as she experienced it. Her insights are cogent and precise and I found myself nodding with familiarity at frequent intervals: "Yes, that's just how it is for me!" It's tough out there for both men and women - patriarchy and (though she doesn't finger it herself) capitalism raw in tooth and claw mess up the lives of both sexes to roughly equal degrees. Both sexes need liberating, but maybe men will never get that idea because not enough of them will read such books. I imagine that most buyers of this book will be female; but women, do your male mate/friend/colleague a favour: hand it on to him and implore him to read it - he will feel truly understood.

Brave project
Norah Vincent embarked on a brave project and a journey that would take her to surprising places inside the minds of men. Unsurprisingly, her attempt to assume a different gender proved almost disastrous on her own psyche due to the strain of assuming a different persona and gender. As Vincent says, your gender (and how others treat you accordingly) is so much part of your core identity, more than race or sexuality, that trying to subvert it for any length of time will cause you serious mental damage. This is something that trans-gender individuals must presumably recognise. Vincent writes well and intelligently; her analysis of the dynamic between the sexes is astute and through-provoking. The book is also highly entertaining in the descriptions of some of the scenarios that Ned finds himself. I was reading this on the train and I had to stifle my laughs and smiles with a mad, contorted grimace. As a reader who is interested in gender politics and the study of male/female social dynamics, this book was revealing and refreshing, not least because Vincent concludes from her unique perspective that men have a rough deal: partly because society and their brains have permitted them only a "3 note emotional range" whilst women are allowed "octaves, chromatic scales". Vincent observes at one point that women are much more wordy and talkative than men in almost every situation. The only criticism I have is that she falls into a trap of verbosity towards the end when dissecting her conclusions. Nonetheless, a thoroughly enjoyable and fast-paced read which will give you lots of fascinating subject matter for discussion over the dinner table.

Flawed but fascinating
It took seven years from conception to implementation, but once Norah Vincent, syndicated political columnist for a major American broadsheet, had dressed and successfully passed as a man for the first time, she decided to try it again and to take it one step further. What started as a joke on a night out soon became a serious change of lifestyle as she embarked on a dangerous undercover mission: to become a man for a whole year.

With intensive training in body language and voice-coaching, she slowly transformed her whole persona into `Ned', her masculine alter-ego. `He' got a job, joined a bowling league, dated women, went to live in a monastery, and even spent night after night frequenting strip clubs in pursuit of the male experience. She paints a surprising picture of the extremes of male social behaviour, and loses herself somewhere between testosterone-fuelled competition and society's expectations of men.

What emerges is a fascinating testimony of what it means to be a man from a woman's point of view. Ned's story is engaging, sometimes shocking and ultimately instructive, whilst Norah's confessions are honest, disturbing, and increasingly guilt-driven. Vincent's insights are a challenge to gender stereotypes, and a window into what separates us from them, on whichever side of the line you fall.