The book proposes, as the editorial blurb above says, to examine the contradictory construction of white masculinity in America, and I think it does a good job.

While I am not wholly satisfied with some of Savran's arguments -- I generally dislike Freudian discourse as an analytic tool, and the discussion of economic factors (military-industrial capitalism, etc.) seems to me to be lacking (a proper analysis would be beyond the scope of the work) -- there's enough cogent analysis most of the time to outweigh the few instances that I don't find convincing.

Those who have read Susan Faludi's _Stiffed_ will find many parallels between the two books, though this one is targetted at a more academic audience. Some familiarity with psychoanalytic and poststructuralist thought will be beneficial. Savran refers on several occassions to Judith Butler, so having read _Gender Trouble_ can be useful background.