Listened to Audiobook. The Descent of Man may not really saying anything new about masculinity, but was it does do is package up lots of existing research and theories in a short, easily digestible way. In that, it succeeds - easy to read (or in this case listen to) as many of the high concept ideas are grounded in what amounts to a mini-memoir.

Brilliant, sensitive analysis of masculinity and it's effect on society, and men. All people should read this book.

A witty, personal take on masculinity that never truly takes off. Grayson Perry writes compellingly about gender and why he thinks we need more positive masculine role models that can show men it's okay to be vulnerable, kind and caring. Coming at just under 150 pages (about 4h of listening as an audio book, which is what I did), it's a breezy read/listen but not one that's pushed my thinking.

The most interesting passages are when Perry talks about his own childhood and life experiences, notably as a cross dresser, and how it's given him distance on his own gender. The chapter on clothing was the most novel to me. It's also when he combines a gender and class / economic that the book becomes more thought provoking.

As a whole, however, "The Descent of Man" struck me as preaching to the converted. I may not be the audience for it so I could be wrong, but I somehow doubt that the very men most in need of this book are the ones likely to pick it up. If they did, they might find the arguments a bit light.

Despite its length, it also went around in circles a fair bit. And if you're vaguely familiar with feminism, it's unlikely to uncover new grounds (admittedly I have a degree in it, again I may not be the target audience). So while the message is worthwhile, I can't help but feel a little underwhelmed by what I'm taking away from "The Descent of Man". Hopefully the men picking it up won't.

Men. It's difficult to easily summarize what it means to be a man as there are many, often conflicting, ideas that come to mind in describing what a man is and how he should behave. Grayson Perry's The Descent of Man self-reflectively looks at masculinity.

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A rather quick text of the current state of affairs of how men are perceived by themselves and by others, it does not mount an attack or turn whiny but instead approaches the concept of masculinity with an aim toward highlighting the role that society inevitably plays in forming an "acceptable" version of masculinity and how that can modify attitudes and behaviors relating to equality.

While there was research presented on the subject of various gendered topics, much of what was presented seemed more personal or anecdotal in nature, which helped to contextualize the points being made into more of a "here's how this manifests and plays a role in your life," but failed to progress a dialogue on the issues regarding masculinity that were initially raised. This was an enjoyable read but didn't present much new material to foster more meaningful discussions to progress thoughts and actions on the subject; rather it offered readers a rehashing of things they likely already knew.

Loved this book, an insight to manliness, as a feminist I naturally want equality, this books shows how that can be achieved more easily. It questions masculinity, it’s origins and it’s future

I didn't have anything against this book, however, it is excruciatingly boring. For the 30%-40% of the beginning of the beginning I was really interested in what Grayson Perry had to say, but after that, I lost interest and got bored. This is more of an issue with me rather than a book issue since the fact that I chose to read this during a readathon was a bad decision.