Getting Naked

Men are in crisis. Ensnarled in a culture of masculinity driven by powerful patriarchal ideals, whipsawed by competing views of men and gender expectations, many men struggle to form true connections, find personal fulfillment, and experience happiness. We feel caught between our desire for change and fear of it, stuck in a "box" that harms us and those we love. To escape, each man must determine for himself what it is to be a man, and rebuild his masculine identity from the inside out. Getting Naked: A Field Guide for Men offers a roadmap out of the set of expectations that hold us hostage, frozen in place. Author Mark Grayson describes the critical steps a man can take toward personal transformation, leading to a new masculine identity and the life of connection, meaning, and purpose that he desires. He explores seven key tenets that are conditioned into men from an early age, suggests actions men can take to reclaim aspects of our personalities that our culture devalues, and shows men how we might expand our identities as providers, warriors, and protectors to become nurturers, companions, seekers--and authentic men. Getting Naked proposes a framework to help men make a transformative mental, emotional, and behavioral shift. Weaving together the latest academic research, stories of men who have navigated their own journeys toward a new masculinity, and perspectives gained from Grayson's own path toward an expanded conception of masculinity, this book will help men experience the grace, power, and joy of being alive, connected, and unabashedly male.