Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man ANNOTATION
Written for both men and women, this groundbreaking book takes the reader on a journey to discover new routes to authentic manhood and create alternatives to definitions of masculinity that no longer work in today's world.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
How does one become a "real man"? By joining a fraternity? Getting a letter in football? Conquering a lot of women? Making a lot of money?
With traditional notions of manhood under attack, today's men (and women) are looking for a new vision of masculinity. In this ground-breaking book, Sam Keen offers an inspiring guide for men seeking new personal ideals of strength, potency, and warriorship in their lives.
What does it really mean to be a man? Fire in the Belly answers that question by daringly confronting outdated models of manhood that impoverish, injure, and alienate men. It shows instead how men can find their own path to understanding the unique mysteries of being male and in the process rediscover a new vitality and virility that will energize every aspect of their lives. Here is a look at men at work, at play, at war, and in love, moving from brokenness to wholeness and building nurturing, satisfyiung relationships with one another, their mates and their families.
At no time in history have there been so many men looking for new roles, new attitudes, and new ways of being. In this powerful and empowering book, author Sam Keen retells for modern times the ancient story of the search for what it means to be a man - a man with fire in his belly and passion in his heart.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The new male that Keen envisions is neither devoted careerist nor self-absorbed New Age guy nor cool, detached ``post-modern man.'' He is husbandman and steward of the earth--strong, vulnerable, with a capacity for moral outrage, empathy and wonder--whose right livelihood is consonant with ecological awareness. Consulting editor of Psychology Today , Keen ( Faces of the Enemy ) argues that men must define their identities by severing themselves from women as approval-giving mother figures and as the ancient Goddess who continues to exert power within the male psyche's hidden recesses. Going beyond the modern rites of manhood--alienating work, war, performance-oriented sex--the new male ``psychonaut'' brings forth meaning by undertaking ``a spiritual journey into the self.'' Men--and women--will be enriched by the uncommon insights in Keen's speculative primer. (Mar.)
Library Journal
It would be too simplistic to characterize this book as a treatise on male liberation, for Keen goes farther in categorizing male and female traits than do many other books on the subject. Many readers may even find his discussion in the chapter ``It's a Woman's World'' disquieting. Keen argues that if the old gender/sex differentiations are wrong, so are modern unisex approaches. The difference between men and women is more than biological. Keen does not articulate the difference, however, calling it a mystery. Describing what being a man has historically meant, he argues forcefully that we need a new understanding, one that he hopes his book will help form. Challenging, well written, recommended, and definitely not for men only.-- John Moryl, Yeshiva Univ. Lib., New York
Home
