Voluntary Book Reports: Who'd Have Thunk it?

In elementary school and beyond, I hated having to read a book and then give a subsequent report on it. Every school year brought about a slew of assigned book reports, each with thicker books, longer writing assignments, and tougher subjects to be discussed in the report.

Funny now that I read and write for the fun of it.

Anyway, the following are some of my thoughts on Kathleen Parker's book, Save the Males. Kathleen is a syndicated columnist whose column I read twice a week in Buffalo News (or online if I don't get the paper). She espouses many of the conservative viewpoints that I agree with, albeit she seeks to move beyond supporting something just because it's a right-wing talking point. She's a critical thinker and isn't afraid to buck party norms and give treatment to areas of controversy. Perhaps that's why she resonates so well with me.

And she's a damn good writer too, making her points with wit, charm, humor, and touches of cynicism. Enjoy the "book report":

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Right-of-center syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker brings her cynical, witty style of writing to the table in her 2008 book Save the Males. What Parker has crafted is a politically incorrect analysis of modern society’s push to empower females while simultaneously stripping men of the very facets of male persona.

Chivalry, honor, strength, courage—these are the facets of manhood, argues Parker, that are being replaced with effeminate, “metrosexual” traits seen in the contemporary man portrayed in both media and on the streets.

Meanwhile, thanks in large part to feminist movements, women are being empowered to become more manlike. From serving in the military, to sexual aggression, Parker examines how in the push for gender equality, it’s as if we face gender swapping in many ways.

And not only that, but many feminists see men as the root of their problems, and thus a force to all but be extinguished.

What Parker does in Save the Males is use her non-traditional, out-of-the-box thinking style that she employs so beautifully in her twice weekly newspaper column. She examines how contemporary society has left men so confused and stripped of their traditional values that inevitable shortcomings arise.

Parker leaves no stone unturned, giving fair treatment to pornography, sexual lewdness, breakdown of the traditional family, and females on the frontlines of military skirmishes. Her insights regarding erotic dancers are particularly eye opening, and make the reader think beyond the mindset that such a "profession" is simply women being exploited (which in many cases it is), but also is a form of sexual aggression and control asserted by females over men.

While controversial in nature, Parker makes it clear that she is not a member of the oft negatively perceived “religious right”. (“Religious-always right”, as she calls them on page 193.) She employs her typical right-of-center thinking that is decidedly open minded. Rather than simply trumpet the right-wing talking points, Parker seeks to think outside the box and demonstrate either:

a) a different reason for arriving at a conclusion

OR

b) a valid argument to buck the right’s norm (her arguments against Sarah Palin, and subsequent wishes for her death from a reader, demonstrate this point well).

I found Save the Males to be a thought- provoking and authoritative book. I’ll admit my perceptions going into this were colored by a review I read on Buffalo Library’s website, where I first reserved the book. The review calls Parker’s claims “fanciful” and “unsubstantiated.” I’d have to disagree. Parker makes a strong case for her findings, and backs them up with credible statistics, authoritative interviews, and painstaking research. I respect anyone who can put the time and effort into collecting enough data to write a book like this. One may conclude Parker is wrong after reading this, but Save the Males certainly provides some intellectual food for thought.

One final note: This book deals with some very mature themes. I’ll admit after reading chapter five that I wanted to go wash my eyes out with soap I felt so dirty. Parker addresses this both with a warning at the start of the chapter, and with several interjections such as, “I’ve had to learn more about porn than I ever wanted to…” (paraphrased).

That said, if you can read this as an adult, it presents a new way of looking at what modern-day manhood has evolved into, and the challenges that it poses in our ever-accepting-of-everyone society.