Notes on Being a Man

Galloway (The Algebra of Wealth), a professor of marketing at NYU, shares suggestions for male self-improvement in this out of touch guide. After diagnosing a crisis of disconnection, dissatisfaction, and economic precarity among American men, Galloway mines his own experiences in life and business for approaches that offer greater fulfillment. These include leaning heavily into grind culture, especially early in one’s career (for younger men, home should be reserved “for seven hours of sleeping and recharging your tech, that’s it”), improving health by exercising and increasing sunlight exposure, making friends at all stages of life, and being a more affectionate father. The ultimate goal, he writes, is to become a man of “surplus value” who gives more to society than he takes. While some of the individual pieces of advice are worthwhile, the author’s grating tone and scant support for his claims frustrate, and the idea that one can self-improve one’s way out of the challenges facing American men feels naive, given the significant structural factors at play. The result is a lackluster road map for developing a narrow type of masculinity. (Nov.)