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The Will to Change

Men, Masculinity, and Love

by bell hooks

Narrator Janina Edwards

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Length 6 hours 5 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“A book which wonderfully articulates how contemporary perceptions and internalisations of unexamined masculinity are damaging men, how men are themselves victim of patriarchal structures too, and how the rest of society suffer because of it. A fantastic read for anyone who man exploring feelings of angst, anger, and isolation.”
— Bret • Brick Lane Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“bell hooks explains too well the issues of patriarchy and gender norms. How men are not inherently toxic and that our culture has dictated this behavior of hyper-masculinity and adversity to love and sensitivity. You can’t blame people entirely for these issues, but accountability does need to be held. People all around need the proper tools to love and be loved. It’s thought this idea is solely enforced by men, but it’s important to remember everyone can have a hand in this, including women. Abiding the patriarchy leads to the idea that one receives more power and allows people to get ahead - this is not entirely true because it stifles emotions and is damaging to the individuals. It is systematic and it has been used as such for a very long time. It’s intimately understood in this book that feminism should not exclude men, because they need help too. It’s an emotional and clear understanding that women must stand with men against patriarchy. No one should be left behind.”
— Otillia • Page 1 Books

Summary
About the author

From New York Times bestselling author, feminist pioneer, and cultural icon bell hooks, a timelessly necessary treatise on how patriarchy and toxic masculinity hurts us all, with a new introduction by poet Ross Gay.

Feminist writing did not tell us about the deep inner misery of men.

Everyone needs to love and be loved—including men. But to know love, men must be able to look at the ways in which patriarchal culture keeps them from understanding themselves. In The Will to Change, bell hooks provides a compassionate guide for men of all ages and identities to understand how to be in touch with their feelings, and how to express versus repress the emotions that are a fundamental part of who we are.

With trademark candor and fierce intelligence, hooks addresses the most common concerns of men, such as fear of intimacy and loss of their patriarchal place in society, in new and challenging ways. The Will to Change “creates space for men to acknowledge their traumas and heal—not only for their sake, but for the sake of everyone in their lives” (BuzzFeed).

Science & Technology Nonfiction Social Science

bell hooks was a cultural critic, a feminist icon, and the renowned author of more than twenty books, including the enduring classic New York Times bestseller All About Love, Rock My Soul, The Will to Change, Sisters of the Yam, and When Angels Speak of Love. A charismatic speaker, she divided her time between teaching, writing, and lecturing around the world. She passed away in 2021.