Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man

Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction *Shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award *Shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize One of The Times UK’'s Best Memoirs of 2018, BuzzFeed’'s Best Nonfiction of 2018, Autostraddle’'s Best LGBT Books of 2018, and 52 Insight’'s Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2018 A "no-holds-barred examination of masculinity" (BuzzFeed) and violence from award-winning author Thomas Page McBee.In this "refreshing and radical" narrative, Thomas McBee, a trans man, sets out to uncover what makes a man—-and what being a "good" man even means—through his experience training for and fighting in a charity boxing match at Madison Square Garden.

A self-described "amateur" at masculinity, McBee embarks on a wide-ranging exploration of gender in society, examining sexism, toxic masculinity, and privilege.