{"product_id":"9780593797945","title":"Before They Were Men","description":"\u003cb\u003eGender nonconforming thought leader and bestselling author Jacob Tobia offers a paradigm-shifting argument for fundamentally reframing how we think about men.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe conversation about masculinity, patriarchy, and misogyny has never been so prominent or heated. Alarmed by a new generation of angry, broken young men, genderqueer writer Jacob Tobia set out to explore what was going on and came to a shocking conclusion: emotionally and spiritually-speaking, men and boys may be the ones suffering \u003ci\u003ethe most\u003c\/i\u003e under the gender binary right now.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJacob should know. For their gender-defying adolescent heart, the nonconsensual process of being “made a man” was crushing. After spending a lifetime fleeing manhood and masculinity, Jacob dares to ask the question: what happens if we stop understanding men as categorical beneficiaries of patriarchal institutions and start understanding them for what they are – \u003ci\u003eco-survivors\u003c\/i\u003e of patriarchy itself? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a series of personal and devastating essays, \u003ci\u003eBefore They Were Men\u003c\/i\u003e argues that we must rewire our entire framework of feminism. A much-needed nonbinary intervention into a two-sided discourse gone stale, Jacob boldly posits compassion and empathy as the paradigm-shifting forces that will lead men — and us all — to a brighter future. Urgent, surprising, and at times, hilarious, they cover topics like:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe unspoken body image issues and dysmorphia confronting men and boys. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe difficulty of challenging a world that glorifies war, aggression, and the violence of men.         \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe case for rethinking, and ultimately retiring, counterproductive terms like “Toxic Masculinity” and “Male Privilege.”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom exploring the abuse endured by men in the name of gender norms to addressing the myriad failures of feminist discourse in addressing men’s suffering, this book calls everyone – men, women, and nonbinary people alike – back to the table.","brand":"Jacob Tobia","offers":[{"title":"Harmony\/Rodale |  Hardback  |  2025-08-26","offer_id":46391309074687,"sku":"9780593797945","price":36.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/9780593797945_tnmd.jpg?v=1755619866","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9780593797945","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}