Amateur: A Reckoning With Gender, Identity and Masculinity

(Paperback, Main)

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Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

In this groundbreaking new book, Thomas Page McBee, a trans man, trains to fight in a charity match at Madison Square Garden while struggling to untangle the vexed relationship between masculinity and violence.

Through his experience of boxing - learning to get hit, and to hit back; wrestling with the camaraderie of the gym; confronting the betrayals and strength of his own body - McBee examines the weight of male violence, the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes and the limitations of conventional masculinity. A wide-ranging exploration of gender in our society, Amateur is ultimately a story of hope, as McBee traces a way forward: a new masculinity, inside the ring and out of it.

A graceful and uncompromising exploration of living, fighting and healing, in Amateur we gain insight into the stereotypes and shifting realities of masculinity today through the eyes of a new man.

'If you told me at the beginning of 2018 that my book of the year would be the memoir of a transgender man who took up boxing, I would have offered you generous odds against it. But here is Thomas Page McBee's tough, tender, wise and moving Amateur, a book that will wholly rewire the way you think about men and masculinity.' - Michael Nolan, The Saturday Paper

Reviews

Amateur is a beautiful and powerful book written by the superbly talented Thomas Page McBee. This memoir is such an important piece of trans literature to support and one that spoke to me deeply * * Elliot Page * *
A visceral, sparky read . . . Beautifully written [and] deep and affecting . . . Absolutely fascinating -- BBC Radio 4 A Good Read
A blazingly wise and beautiful book -- A.L. KENNEDY
McBee's writing bristles with an elegant swagger . . . Amateur is as much a reconciliation as an emancipation . . . Punchy, thought-provoking stuff * * Sunday Times * *
In an age when identity feels so splintered and fractional, McBee's empathy with men feels refreshing, but it's his determination to be accountable that is radical. He resolves his own masculinity crisis by doing the things men often think they're doing, but so often are not: listening, asking questions, seeking help, being vulnerable * * Observer * *
Brave, honest and touchingly human . . . This is a beautiful book that will resonate . . . with anyone anywhere in the world who is determined to become a better, kinder human being -- ELIF SHAFAK * * Guardian * *
Amateur is a heck of a tale, and McBee is a gifted memoirist * * Financial Times * *
Amateur provocatively describes the ways in which an increasingly fragile patriarchal culture needs to keep men in their place. A quest for self-liberation, this loving and deeply intelligent exploration of contemporary masculinities is essential reading -- DEBORAH LEVY
One of my favourite books of 2018 . . . A memoir about boxing, masculinity and transitioning. It is exceptional -- NIKESH SHUKLA
An eye-opening story about gender and courage, and confirmation that there are many different fights to being a man * * Guardian * *

Author Bio

Thomas Page McBee was 'masculinity expert' for Vice and the first trans man ever to box at Madison Square Garden. His essays and reportage have appeared in the New York Times, Playboy, Glamour and Salon.
@ThomasPageMcBee | thomaspagemcbee.com