Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 1,341 ratings

Price: 21.25

Last update: 09-03-2024


About this item

A gripping, fearless exploration of masculinity

The effects of traditionally defined masculinity have become one of the most prevalent social issues of our time. In this engaging and provocative new book, beloved actor, director, and social activist Justin Baldoni reflects on his own struggles with masculinity. With insight and honesty, he explores a range of difficult, sometimes uncomfortable topics including strength and vulnerability, relationships and marriage, body image, sex and sexuality, racial justice, gender equality, and fatherhood.

Writing from experience, Justin invites us to move beyond the scripts we’ve learned since childhood and the roles we are expected to play. He challenges men to be brave enough to be vulnerable, to be strong enough to be sensitive, to be confident enough to listen. Encouraging men to dig deep within themselves, Justin helps us reimagine what it means to be man enough and in the process what it means to be human.


Top reviews from the United States

None
5.0 out of 5 stars It was very good, very real, and very inspiring.
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2021
I liked that it was very honest and open about the experiences and the feelings. At first I bought this book for my personal self reflect but then as I got into the nitty gritty of masculinity, I realized this book can also be of some reflect for my 24 year old son who just recently (last week) told me if he can talk to me in private. I said" of course son, what's going on". He started to cry (as I am right now) and he opened up and said he's been suffering from depression for a couple of months now and he thought he should finally open up and tell someone. My heart was hurt and all I wanted to do was hold him and hug him. So that's what I did before we started to have a heart to heart conversation. It was a sign because as he asked if he can talk to me is when I was actually reading your book. Wow!!! So, thank you for opening up your life and experiences because many of guys, young men, or even boys sometimes don't know how. They need more guidance and role models like yourself. Tell Emily I said Hi and may God bless your family always. Also, I just bought you a little gift, please go read your message on Instagram and I also texted you. Take care!
Lisa Amato
5.0 out of 5 stars This book will change your perspective...not just for men, but for all humans!
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2021
I loved this book....some of the things I knew, some of the things I ignored and many things opened my eyes at why males perform (vs. behave) the way they do, but also made me critically look at my definition of masculinity and who I am as a woman. I wish I had read this book while raising my son and daughter, to better help them understand their roles in life. Justin is so gifted in analyzing situations, people and feelings and breaking it down to see the damage that our culture has done to all of us in how we view and expect others to be in life. I was in an accident last weekend (94 yr old man ran a red light and broadsided me, totaling my car) and after the firemen cut me out of the SUV, I was on the side of the intersection being evaluated by the firemen. I told them that they all need to read this book, that the women in their lives will be so grateful. They all promised to buy it and read it...I am hoping they were not just pacifying me! I am so upset that my book fell out of my bag in my SUV and I haven't had it all week to finish it as the SUV was towed away. I am going to order another book today and when I get the first copy back, I will give it to my son! Thank you Justin for opening up and sharing your life, pain and experiences with us to help break this cycle of dysfunction we have all be participating in!
Lisa V.
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the read!!
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2021
Highly reccomend this book! If you are searching to understand men (on a general scale because not all men are the same, but they experience similar issues) and are interested in the effects of masculinity, this book is amazing! The vulnerability that Justin is able to reach in each topic while talking about his experience as a man leaves you in awe. This book is not only for men who are seeking comfort, but it is also for women who are raising the men of the future & who fall victim to the effects of toxic masculinity. Justin is able to make readers understand how the ongoing definition of masculinity has tainted the men in our lives and in order to see a change we must undefine rather than redefine. His ability to acknowledge how everyone as a whole- women, LGBTQ and non-binary included- are affected by masculinity is a breath of fresh air. It's definitely worth the read!
Veronica Flores
5.0 out of 5 stars Man Enough -> Human Enough
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2021
Justin Baldoni is on an exploration to find out where and how traditional masculinity is learned. It’s not innate, so where do these unwritten messages about masculinity come from? He explains that if guys don’t fit into the “man box,” boys (and then later, men) will police one another. If you don’t fit into the box, then you’re not #manenough. If you show any emotion, you’re not #manenough. If you display any traditional feminine qualities like compassion or empathy, you’re not #manenough. If you’re not #manenough, then you’re weak. You’ll get bullied when you’re young or pushed around throughout your life. How messed up is that?

Justin thinks maybe it’s time to blow up our traditional views on masculinity. Start over. Let's not "redefine" masculinity, only to keep other groups of men out of the box feeling anxious, inadequate, and not enough. Let's "undefine" masculinity. In this book, Justin Baldoni is inviting men to start a conversation. Screw being #manenough, it’s time to start being human enough.

Justin Baldoni pours his heart into this book. How incredibly brave and courageous it is to put all of your personal life out into the universe, only for many to criticize before reading a single page. Talk about putting a target on your back. But, that's how important this work is. Too many men are suffering in silence. Most men have never been given the tools or the permission to use them, so they don't know how to ask for help, express themselves, or be vulnerable. And that phenomenon affects all of their relationships.

This is a must-read for ALL men but also an important read for women!
Customer image
Veronica Flores
5.0 out of 5 stars Man Enough -> Human Enough
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2021
Justin Baldoni is on an exploration to find out where and how traditional masculinity is learned. It’s not innate, so where do these unwritten messages about masculinity come from? He explains that if guys don’t fit into the “man box,” boys (and then later, men) will police one another. If you don’t fit into the box, then you’re not #manenough. If you show any emotion, you’re not #manenough. If you display any traditional feminine qualities like compassion or empathy, you’re not #manenough. If you’re not #manenough, then you’re weak. You’ll get bullied when you’re young or pushed around throughout your life. How messed up is that?

Justin thinks maybe it’s time to blow up our traditional views on masculinity. Start over. Let's not "redefine" masculinity, only to keep other groups of men out of the box feeling anxious, inadequate, and not enough. Let's "undefine" masculinity. In this book, Justin Baldoni is inviting men to start a conversation. Screw being #manenough, it’s time to start being human enough.

Justin Baldoni pours his heart into this book. How incredibly brave and courageous it is to put all of your personal life out into the universe, only for many to criticize before reading a single page. Talk about putting a target on your back. But, that's how important this work is. Too many men are suffering in silence. Most men have never been given the tools or the permission to use them, so they don't know how to ask for help, express themselves, or be vulnerable. And that phenomenon affects all of their relationships.

This is a must-read for ALL men but also an important read for women!
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image
Omar
5.0 out of 5 stars What I wished I read earlier
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2021
For so long in my formative years I questioned my masculinity and my enoughness. I thought to my self that I was way too kind to be man enough. I thought I was weak and I was absolutely hard on myself. But I also had no place to turn to. No body was talking about this-- until this book.

This is a must-read for all men. I know some of my fellow men will read it with one eye closed, feeling too weird about it, just keep reading. Justin removes all the questions of enoughness and unshaved us from all the constraints of: be brave enough, smart enough, confident enough, good looking enough and so on. This mentality of lacking and needing to prove ourselves is the cause most of our mental strains, and by extension the hurt we put on others around us. We have to understand what being human means and that beyond the picture perfect lives, lay all the questions and internal dialogues that Justin has battled with over the years. I've appreciated Justin's work on my last days and other films, but I appreciate him more now for being vulnerable, using his journey to undefined what it had meant to be a man, so we can get to be ourselves. Highly recommend it.

Best Sellers in

 
 

Can't Buy Me Love

4 4 out of 5 stars 5
17.46
 
 

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within: A Novel

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 8134
21.25
 
 

Love at First Set: A Novel

4 4 out of 5 stars 454
22.04
 
 

Sorrowland: A Novel

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 655
17.71
 
 

Big Gay Wedding: A Novel

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 234
17.71
 
 

Seven Sins: A Reverse Harem Romance Complete Series

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 983
21.83
 
 

Some Desperate Glory

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2786
21.65
 
 

Talking to My Angels

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 234
22.04