Man Up: Cracking the Code of Modern Manhood

In this self-help memoir, poet and performer Gomez uses his experiences as a springboard for grappling with the plight of contemporary masculinity. The child of a Colombian-born diplomat father and an American professor, Gomez shifted to one country after another, unsure about his identity and where he belonged. Even after his family settled in the U.S., Gomez frequently transferred between schools, and his parents’ divorce left him with even deeper questions about his place in the world. Over time, Gomez embraced his mixed cultural background and discovered that his uneasiness over his heritage could be transformed into a source of strength. Each chapter of the book opens with poetry or some kind of dramatized scene. Early chapters unfold in linear fashion, but as the book progresses the organization becomes more thematic—sex, heroism, love, death. A former social worker in the Bronx, Gomez identifies as Latino, and although he went to prep school and the Ivy League, his greatest empathy is for the oppressed. This dedication is admirable, but Gomez’s advice rarely rises above the self-evident: use condoms, treat women with respect, see other people as human beings. (Oct.)