The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man Paperback – Illustrated, October 15, 2009

Mr. Ben Geets' review include excellent background on the author husband & wife team, so I will keep this review strictly to the contents of the book. I received this book earlier than I expected and finished it in just about a day and a half.I ordered this book as soon a I heard about it for 2 reasons. First, I am an avid reader of the Art of Manliness (AOM)Blog, and I thought it would be a great way to support the site. The other reason is because I thoroughly enjoy the McKay's writing style in their blog posts, I knew the book would echo similarly.I cannot recommend this book enough. There are plenty of books out there that try to be a guide to all things men should know. They all fall into one of two categories. They are either specific to one topic like[...] or they cover TOO MANY areas without really going into depth on particular one. That is, until The Art of Manliness came along and found that sweet spot right in the middle.The Art of Manliness (book and blog) provide just enough detail to leave the reader in the know on any particular topic, without trying to make them a pretentious snob about it. The writing is funny, but this is by no means a book with humor as its main goal. The information is solid, and the McKays have presented it in such a way to be enjoyable and keep your attention. For example, in the same chapter you may find insights by "manly" men in history like Winston Churchill or Teddy Roosevelt as well as references to Facebook. I appreciate the mixture of modern and historical perspectives.You can skim or skip over certain parts completely that you wouldn't necessarily find relevant, as I did when I skimmed over the parenting chapter (being a 26yr old single future CPA at the moment). The chapters do fall into a kind of natural order though and you could read it straight through as you would a novel. It's a fun read and I enjoy the use of older "slang" that is no longer part of the modern man's vernacular (a glossary of these terms is included.The Art of Manliness is more than just another book for the shelf of coffee table. It's got the right amount of the right information and is presented in an attention-keeping way. The Guide is interactive and thoughtfully crafted to provide a modern man with what he needs. It does all this without sexist, homophobic, or other negative yet still commonly considered "manly" sentiments.Pick up the book, you will enjoy it and you will be supporting an excellent blogger and "Manly" Man and his wife.

OK, not just adolescents, college men, post college men and every other man should read it too.This book hits the mark on everything it talks about. Thankfully it is not another "sleep with 8 chicks this weekend, how to have an affair, insert cliche here" piece of junk. Quite the opposite. Brett & Kate point out that a REAL man is also a gentleman. It means being able to just handle it - whatever "it" may be. Yes, a real man should know how to braid his daughter's hair - is that what you normally think of when you think manly? probably not, but it is. After all, how manly is it to be a failure in your daughter's eyes - the guy that couldn't handle "it"? Now braiding hair sounds pretty manly doesn't it?It also covers traditional manly things, how to start a fire without matches, how to land a plane in an emergency (no kidding), how to be a gentleman, break up with a girl without being a jerk or coward, how to ask a girl out - sound advice all the way.I wish I would have read this book in high school, I would have been much more confident, and much less shy. I came out of my shell in college, but very slowly - the knowledge in the book would have helped immensely. My parents taught me a lot and I think did an excellent job of raising me - the great thing about this book is that it draws from so many people and experiences that everyone can learn something.I recommend this book specifically for adolescents because of a quote in the book by Frederick Douglass "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." If you are maybe on the wrong path in life, then really reading this book and taking it to heart could save you a lot of heartache later in life. Even if you are on the right path, this book can help you go faster on the right path or maybe change your idea of what the right path is

I often lament that books like this so seldom make it into the hands of those who most need to read them. But it's good to see so many men endorse "The Art of Manliness" as a worthy gift for sons or other young men. I agree. This book -- as well as the associated blog, podcast, and "community" -- are doing a lot to foster a return to classic, even timeless, ideas of what it means to be a man. "The Art of Manliness" is worth reading by males of most any age ... and probably by quite a few women, too, just for good measure.That's not to say this book is flawless. Some of the lengthier how-to sections, notably those on how to help a woman give birth when no doctor is around and how to land a plane when the pilot is dead, felt not only like padding, but cliched padding at that. I skipped over both of those. On a more personal level, I certainly don't share the authors' evident fascination with Theodore Roosevelt, who shows up in these pages far too often. In fact, I think the line of his quoted on page 208 ("In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.") is not only bad advice to give to young men, but also shows why it's so dangerous to allow "men of action" like TR anywhere near positions of power.That aside, though, the eight archetypes of manliness Brett and Kate McKay describe are well chosen and well explained. For a book that covers both grooming and sartorial basics and how to tie knots, encourages men to "stop 'hanging out' with women and start dating them" and to devise "rites of passage" for their sons, there are remarkably few stumbles while crossing an awful lot of ground. This is a book that deserves to be widely distributed and widely read. I hope it is.