I recently wrote an essay for Masculine Geek titled “Thoughts on “A More Complete Beast” by Jack Donovan,” examining his latest book.

An excerpt from the essay:

It is no coincidence that the same people who argue that masculinity is a fluid concept then turn around and argue in no uncertain terms that certain traits and behaviors compose “toxic masculinity.” Like so much deconstructionism that occurs today, they don’t have a clear definition of what something is when speaking of it positively, until they decide they want to attack it.

The debate over “toxic masculinity” fundamentally comes down who writes the narrative of a man’s life. “Toxic masculinity” contains traits that are both admirable and disreputable. A man who mistreats his girlfriends while belligerently attacking other men for no reason would fit the definition, but according to the American Psychological Association so would a father who teaches his sons to be stoic in the face of hardship and aggressive when pursuing excellence.

You can read the whole thing here.