Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man

By Susan Faludi

Book Overview

One of the most talked-about books of last year, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Backlash now explores the collapse of traditional masculinity that has left men feeling betrayed. With Backlash in 1991, Susan Faludi broke new ground when she put her finger directly on the problem bedeviling women, and the light of recognition dawned on millions of her readers: what's making women miserable isn't something they're doing to themselves in the name of independence. It's something our society is doing to women. The book was nothing less than a landmark. Now in Stiffed, the author turns her attention to the masculinity crisis plaguing our culture at the end of the '90s, an era of massive layoffs, "Angry White Male" politics, and Million Man marches. As much as the culture wants to proclaim that men are made miserable--or brutal or violent or irresponsible--by their inner nature and their hormones, Faludi finds that even in the world they supposedly own and run, men are at the mercy of cultural forces that disfigure their lives and destroy their chance at happiness. As traditional masculinity continues to collapse, the once-valued male attributes of craft, loyalty, and social utility are no longer honored, much less rewarded. Faludi's journey through the modern masculine landscape takes her into the lives of individual men whose accounts reveal the heart of the male dilemma. Stiffed brings us into the world of industrial workers, sports fans, combat veterans, evangelical husbands, militiamen, astronauts, and troubled "bad" boys--whose sense that they've lost their skills, jobs, civic roles, wives, teams, and a secure future is only one symptom of a larger and historic betrayal. With Backlash in 1991, Susan Faludi broke new ground when she put her finger directly on the problem bedeviling women, and the light of recognition dawned on millions of her readers: what's making women miserable isn't something they're doing to themselves in the name of independence. It's something our society is doing to women. The book was nothing less than a landmark. Now in Stiffed , the author turns her attention to the masculinity crisis plaguing our culture at the end of the '90s, an era of massive layoffs, "Angry White Male" politics, and Million Man marches. As much as the culture wants to proclaim that men are made miserable--or brutal or violent or irresponsible--by their inner nature and their hormones, Faludi finds that even in the world they supposedly own and run, men are at the mercy of cultural forces that disfigure their lives and destroy their chance at happiness. As traditional masculinity continues to collapse, the once-valued male attributes of craft, loyalty, and social utility are no longer honored, much less rewarded. Faludi's journey through the modern masculine landscape takes her into the lives of individual men whose accounts reveal the heart of the male dilemma. Stiffed brings us into the world of industrial workers, sports fans, combat veterans, evangelical husbands, militiamen, astronauts, and troubled "bad" boys--whose sense that they've lost their skills, jobs, civic roles, wives, teams, and a secure future is only one symptom of a larger and historic betrayal.With Backlash in 1991, Susan Faludi broke new ground when she put her finger directly on the problem bedeviling women, and the light of recognition dawned on millions of her readers: what's making women miserable isn't something they're doing to themselves in the name of independence. It's something our society is doing to women. The book was nothing less than a landmark. Now in Stiffed , the author turns her attention to the masculinity crisis plaguing our culture at the end of the '90s, an era of massive layoffs, "Angry White Male" politics, and Million Man marches. As much as the culture wants to proclaim that men are made miserable--or brutal or violent or irresponsible-

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068812299X
• ISBN13: 9780688122997
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: William Morrow
• Length: 672 Pages
• Weight: 2.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 2.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

What a surprise

I was so surprised by this book. Although a friend recommended it, by the title I did not think I would be all that interested. Fascinating. I don't always agree with some of Faludi's conclusions but the research is well documented and it leaves the reader the opportunity to draw ones own conclusions. It is surprising what the she has found. Very surprising. An original work as far as I know. I hope the length of the book doesn't anyone away. I think if you have any interest in modern cultural dynamics, particularly sexual dynamics, this is a rare book about men. Why on earth is this book written by a woman instead of a man? Where are our chroniclers?

What DOES it mean to be a man?

I just read "Backlash" this spring and wished I'd picked it up 10 years ago. But in "Stiffed" Susan Faludi paints the story of my generation, and that of my parents, with a much broader brushstroke. Why would an avid feminist care about men's problems? Because the situation of women cannot be fully understood in isolation from male experience? I think yes! As she painstakingly documents the values which got us enmeshed in Vietnam it becomes obvious they are the same values which have led us into a parallel entanglement in Iraq, and other things equally pernicious. Would that every American could and would read this book.

This book is about me and every man I know

As one who studies labor history as a passion I found this book incredibly enjoyable. I found common ground with all the characters, and the book filled many gaps of knowledge about each of the issues the author touched upon, which made headline news from sports, religion, to the Vietnam war during my lifetime. I would say with great conviction that this book is probably one of the most important books anyone could read for a better understanding of the times and challenges we live in today. I highly recommend this book!!!

A thought provoking and important book

Susan Faludi's book, "Stiffed," is an exhaustive, comprehensive analysis of how the role(s) of men have evolved and changed in our society during the twentieth century. The main thrust of her argument is that men no longer "feel" like men because they have been "betrayed" by their fathers during childhood--and ultimately even by the corporate structure in America and by the growth of the mass media and entertainment conglomerates, which prevent them from having or feeling a sense of real PURPOSE (as men) in society in terms of the kinds of job tasks they perform.Men, in short, says Faludi, no longer feel RELEVANT in a meaningful way in today's modern society.Writing more as a very perceptive SOCIOLOGIST than as a feminist writer per se, Faludi interviews blue collar workers in various occupations, as well as men in sports, the military, the Apollo Space Program, the entertainment (movie industry)--as well as many other individuals and other groups of people too numerous to mention here.Does she have a point? Are her observations and "personal interviews"/comentaries credible and deserving of close attention? MOST DEFINITELTY! Faludi holds up a mirror of how men have come to feel about themselves and see themselves in American society---and the image that reflects back is a disturbing one to say the least!Readers of "Stiffed" may criticize Faludi bitterly for the points of view she expresses. Her book is extremely long and (forgivably) a bit repetitive; but it is beautifully and clearly written. Count me as one reader who has found her book as perceptive and thought provoking as any book I have read in a long time. The "case" which Faludi makes about male masculinity may be overstated, and readers may not agree in part or in whole with many of the ideas she expresses, but what she says cannot and should not be IGNORED and deserve a reader's careful considration.Controversal as her analysis of men's roles in modern, American Society might be,the fact remains that she has written an unusually perceptive and, I think, IMPORTANT book.Read it!

Long, but not boring

This is a long book, make no mistake. I got it for Christmas, and just finished it. The bulk of the book is a series of case studies. Faludi went to talk to people, mostly men, about what they thought meant to be a man. The men she talked to were in some way icons of masculinity -- construction workers, Promise Keepers, astronauts, action stars, and porn stars. I found her account of these people fascinating, and heartbreaking. I laughed, cried and snarled my way through it. The first chapter was a little bit difficult to get through, but after that, I annoyed my children because I wouldn't put it down and pay attention to them.Some of my own personal pain in the last five years was thrown into an entirely new light by this book. No doubt some will disagree, but it didn't really seem political to me at all. To me it was about people.