A Better Man - Michael Ian Black
I’m not at all familiar with Michael Ian Black’s work, but I thought reading A Better Man would be an interesting read. As a woman raising three kids (two girls, one boy), I was intrigued by what kind of advice a white man would give to his own son as his son is about to enter adulthood. A Better Man was actually a lovely read: a letter to a child that is obviously very, very loved, with some solid advice, and also a reflection on the author’s own life, his childhood, and on things that he would like to make sure are not perpetuated into the next generations.
The book is divided up into very clear chapters that deal with a specific topic (the idea of “being a real man”, strength, communication, emotions, toxic masculinity etc), but they all flow into each other very well. Michael Ian Black provides a clear overview of each topic, and then illustrates with his own experiences, as well as some quotes and stories from other people. He has a great writing style: clear and easy to read, but also funny and heartwarming. I loved just how open the author is with his son (and with us all), and how he isn’t scared to talk about his own confusion, lessons learnt, and all of the things he hopes to make easier for his own kids.
This is a lovely read, and also an interesting one, and I also appreciated how the author doesn’t dance about difficult topics that need to be discussed more often.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.