Reviews for Secret men's business

The average rating for Secret men's business based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-03-19 00:00:00 Joshua Holler Whoa, did this book have an incredible impact on me as a kid. When you're a teenage boy, there are so many things you want to ask about being a bloke. You want to ask your dad, your brothers, your uncles, even your mates - but you don't, because this is a verboten topic. You're expected to know how to become a man without ever talking about it - because to talk about being a man means you must still be a boy, and the last thing a teenage boy wants to be called is a boy and not a man. I remember finding Secret Men's Business in the town library and being fascinated that a man had actually sat down and written all of this for us boys to just pick up and learn what we wanted to know. What an absolute champion. Marsden's book tackled a wide range of topics, from the emotional to the sexual and highly visceral - the stuff you really couldn't talk about with your dad. It was a thrilling, captivating read and it hit the mark. My most vivid memory of the book is of hiding it. I don't think my parents or anyone else knew I was reading it. I only read it in bed, after everyone in the house was asleep. It was hidden in a secret place in my bedroom. In fact, I hid it where I hid my porn magazines, and I would have probably had the same reaction if either item had been unwittingly found. There was a shame that came with reading this - because I felt like I should have already known it all: that manly wisdom should arrive via osmosis or telepathy, not from a book. But despite that, I was still compelled to read this book. I had to know all the secret stuff that nobody talked about being a man. And I felt better once I'd finished it. I was less insecure; more confident. This book helped shape me as a man. It also helped shape me as a writer. I wanted to incorporate some of these themes, some of this masculine wisdom, into my fiction - if I could find a way to do it well, of course. John Marsden found a niche with this excellent book, and I'm so glad, because it changed my life for the better.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-07-28 00:00:00 Florent Michel I suppose I probably shouldn't have read this one, being a girl and all; I enjoyed nonetheless!