Unmasking

Toward Authentic Masculinity

By: Keith E. Edwards

Narrated by: Keith E. Edwards

Even though men as a group have power, individual men often feel powerless. These contradictory experiences contribute to men’s hurting—hurting others and being hurt. Based on more than fifteen years of research, Keith E. Edwards, PhD, illuminates men’s masking, unmasking, and becoming to help men develop their own authentic masculinity. He also shares strategies to help us all better engage the men in our lives with empathy, reach them with compassion, effectively hold them accountable, and help them to become the men they aspire to be. The men in his study thought they had a unique secret, but they all shared the same secret. They each wore masks to hide their insecurities and portray an image that would be seen as “man enough” according to the external expectations of them as men. These external expectations oppress women and transgender people, place some men above other men, and limit all men. Men struggle with their unmasking. Too often, as soon as their insecurities reemerge, the mask snaps back into place as though attached with an elastic cord. With mask consciousness, men can engage in their own process of becoming by exploring their identity and practicing aligning their actions with integrity.

©2023 Keith E. Edwards (P)2023 Keith E. Edwards

Great read, highly recommend

Excellent book and narration. The author does an outstanding job of sharing impactful information and research in a way that is easy to connect with and absorb. Highly recommend.

Called in

I have been an academic advising professional in higher education for 30+ years. This book is helping me advise and support students of all genders with expanded insight, compassion and care. As I listened to the book, I felt “called in” to recognize some of the simplistic and inaccurate assumptions I have made about men most of my life. I appreciate the way Keith occasionally inserts his own story into the powerful narratives of his research participants, which makes the book enjoyable, relatable, and serves as a living example of what unmasking can really look like. Most importantly, this book has expanded my capacity to be kind and compassionate in my work and in my life.

For anyone who cares about any men this is for YOU

Keith does such an incredible job taking very complex, nuanced, and confusing ideas about what it is to be "a man" in the modern world and presents them with kindness and compassion in a way that anyone can understand. This book is truly for men and anyone who loves or cares about men.

Dr. Edwards uses his research as a launching point. Namely, his groundbreaking study where he interviewed 10 very different men about what it is to "be a man" and analyzed their ideas -and then did it again every 5 years for the last 15 years. That alone would be fascinating, but he enriches and further humanizes the learning by including personal anecdotes as well as wisdom gleaned from other thought-leaders and experts in the field.

In the end, this book is about learning how to see the difference between the person we really are when we feel save, and free to be ourselves, and the person we feel we're supposed to be. We all wear masks, but we don't have to. This book helped me see that.

Essential read for men and all who care about men

This book is terrific! It's very accessible, honest, and thought-provoking. I read it in print as someone particularly interested in how it might influence my work as a college student educator. I then re-read sections and listened to the audiobook because it deepened my thinking, not just about my professional work but about my identity development as a man and my role in parenting three young men. I will continue to reference Keith Edwards anytime male identity development is discussed. I return to Unmasking repeatedly when I reflect on how we can encourage each other not to let fear and insecurity keep us from becoming our authentic selves. While the work for all of us continues, Keith's insights gleaned from his longitudinal study and years of working with students provide practical strategies that spark hope in the face of masking behavior that harms us all - including us men behind our masks. The audiobook is excellent, as Keith narrates his conversational writing in a relatable and inspirational way. I recommend this book to everyone!