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The Liberated Man: Beyond Masculinity: Freeing Men and Their Relationships with Women
The Liberated Man paperback
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
2 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Warren Farrell
27 books261 followersWarren Thomas Farrell is an American educator, activist and author of seven books on men's and women's issues.
He came to prominence in the 1970s, championing the cause of second wave feminism, and serving on the New York City Board of the National Organization for Women (NOW). However, he left NOW and is now recognized as an important figure in the modern men's movement.
His books cover ten fields: history, law, sociology and politics (The Myth of Male Power); couples’ communication (Women Can’t Hear What Men Don’t Say, and Father and Child Reunion); economic and career issues (Why Men Earn More); child psychology and child custody (Father and Child Reunion); and teenage to adult psychology and socialization (Why Men Are The Way They Are and The Liberated Man). All of his books are related to men's and women studies; consistent to his books since the early 90's has been a call for a gender transition movement.
He came to prominence in the 1970s, championing the cause of second wave feminism, and serving on the New York City Board of the National Organization for Women (NOW). However, he left NOW and is now recognized as an important figure in the modern men's movement.
His books cover ten fields: history, law, sociology and politics (The Myth of Male Power); couples’ communication (Women Can’t Hear What Men Don’t Say, and Father and Child Reunion); economic and career issues (Why Men Earn More); child psychology and child custody (Father and Child Reunion); and teenage to adult psychology and socialization (Why Men Are The Way They Are and The Liberated Man). All of his books are related to men's and women studies; consistent to his books since the early 90's has been a call for a gender transition movement.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 5, 2009
This book is about feminism applied to men's liberation. Men have just as much to gain from feminism as women do, if men's voices and rights are taken seriously, as this book mostly does. This book outlines for men what they have to gain from feminism. It discusses the male gender role of provider, protector, and leader. It explains sex objectification and likens it to money objectification that some men experience from women who are "gold diggers." It does a good amount of role-reversals, to help men better understand women's perspectives.
Unfortunately, I didn't get much from this book. Maybe I'm already quite liberated, but that could just be my male ego speaking! My awareness of that possibility is something I did get from this book, so it obviously had an impact. I really liked the chapter on the Super Bowl, as it so beautifully details all the ways this American ritual epitomizes the traditional male role, and why this hurts both men and women. My favorite part of the book is the last section on consciousness-raising groups. It did an excellent job of demonstrating how these groups operate, why they help people, as well as let the reader learn along with the members, as they follow along with some of the dialogs.
This book is especially interesting to read knowing how the author himself has grown and changed his views in the years following. He went on to write a book called Why Men Are the Way They Are, in which he did the same thing but for women, helping them understand men better and how this understanding can help women. Feminists were outraged, and he was outcast from feminist circles. He went on to write some excellent books critical of feminism, and how this movement often hurts its own cause, the cause he believed in and still does. This edition of The Liberated Man includes an introduction and afterword he wrote during this new phase of his career, and the difference in both attitude and tone is stark, but he said in the introduction that, upon re-reading The Liberated Man, he still agrees with most of this book.
Unfortunately, I didn't get much from this book. Maybe I'm already quite liberated, but that could just be my male ego speaking! My awareness of that possibility is something I did get from this book, so it obviously had an impact. I really liked the chapter on the Super Bowl, as it so beautifully details all the ways this American ritual epitomizes the traditional male role, and why this hurts both men and women. My favorite part of the book is the last section on consciousness-raising groups. It did an excellent job of demonstrating how these groups operate, why they help people, as well as let the reader learn along with the members, as they follow along with some of the dialogs.
This book is especially interesting to read knowing how the author himself has grown and changed his views in the years following. He went on to write a book called Why Men Are the Way They Are, in which he did the same thing but for women, helping them understand men better and how this understanding can help women. Feminists were outraged, and he was outcast from feminist circles. He went on to write some excellent books critical of feminism, and how this movement often hurts its own cause, the cause he believed in and still does. This edition of The Liberated Man includes an introduction and afterword he wrote during this new phase of his career, and the difference in both attitude and tone is stark, but he said in the introduction that, upon re-reading The Liberated Man, he still agrees with most of this book.
November 21, 2012
A fascinating treatise on the men's liberation movement, a movement that works in tandem with the women's liberation movement in the 60s and 70s. While a lot still rings true today, I think as a society we've gotten over some of the antagonisms that pervaded that era, but sadly not as far as the book might envision as a gendered-even society. A modern-day followup to this book would be interesting to look through.
August 11, 2022
I want to read this book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2025
I really hope the author has revised many of his ideas since this book was published. So many of the ideas and concepts he advocates for have been proven to be terrible ideas.
April 30, 2016
Just read the the Ten commandments of masculinity. . not much has changed and more of these commandments are accepted in our society as a standard way for any public person to behave.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews