Manhood Impossible: Men’s Struggles to Control and Transform their Bodies and Work

In Manhood Impossible, Scott Melzer argues that boys’ and men’s bodies and breadwinner status are the two primary sites for their expression of control. Controlling selves and others, and resisting being dominated and controlled is most connected to men’s bodies and work. However, no man can live up to these culturally ascendant ideals of manhood. The strategies men use to manage unmet expectations often prove toxic, not only for men themselves, but also for other men, women, and society. Melzer strategically explores the lives of four groups of adult men struggling with contemporary body and breadwinner ideals. These case studies uncover men’s struggles to achieve and maintain manhood, and redefine what it means to be a man.

Reviews of Manhood Impossible: Men’s Struggles to Control and Transform their Bodies and Work

"Manhood Impossible provides astute sociological insight into how men struggle to resuscitate their feelings of masculinity and access the exclusive dominion of manhood. With its intriguing case studies, accessible writing style, and ethnographic slant, this is an excellent book that students and scholars are sure to love."–Kristen Barber "author of Styling Masculinity: Gender, Class, and Inequality in the Men's Grooming Industry " "Manhood Impossible is a thoughtfully conceived, well-written, and engaging book that speaks and adds to the literature on men, manhood, and masculinity. Melzer offers analysis grounded in rich description in this fresh addition to the field."–Matthew B. Ezzell "associate professor of sociology at James Madison University "