Cracking the Armour: Power, Pain and the Lives of Men
Michael Kaufman1993

Everywhere we turn, women are challenging men’s power and men are rethinking what it means to be men. But why is it that so many men feel powerless and alienated despite the social, economic and personal power that seems to be their birthright? In Cracking the Armour, Michael Kaufman weaves a rich and colourful narrative of men’s experiences with sexuality, pornography, violence, fatherhood, families, and friendships. He gives an account of men’s aspirations, obsessions, and concerns that is sometimes funny, often provocative, and always honest and direct. In the process, he helps us understand what is harmful to men and oppressive to women about our current notions of masculinity, and to reclaim the possibilities and joys so many men have buried in the quest for an armour-plated manhood.