Bring Me Men: Military Masculinity and the Benign Facade of American Empire, 1898-2001

by Aaron Belkin

The masculinity of those who serve in the American military would seem to be indisputable, yet it is full of contradictions. To become a warrior, one must renounce those things in life that are perceived to be unmasculine. Yet at the same time, the military has encouraged and even mandated warriors to do exactly the opposite.

Bring Me Men explores these contradictions in great detail and shows that their invisibility has been central to the process of concealing the darkest secrets of American empire. By examining case studies that expose these contradictions--the phenomenon of male-on-male rape at the US Naval Academy, for example, as well as historical and contemporary attitudes toward cleanliness and filth--Belkin utterly upends our understanding of the relationship between warrior masculinity and American empire and the fragile processes sustaining it.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Gender Studies

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Samuel Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with another reviewer by saying a valuable source of information, but not the best organized book. However, so many sources were useful in broadening my understanding of masculinities and militarization and I agree with the central argument of the book, 100%.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but was disappointed. It is meticulously researched the information it contains is striking (and at times, shocking), but the overall structure of the argument fails. It is repetitive repetitive repetitive. It could easily be an article or two instead of a 185 page monograph. The argument itself (that contradictory demands of male military bodies/masculinity creates confusion which perpetuates docility that is projected in imperial conquests) was made early on and then just reiterated. A valuable source for information, but not the best crafted book.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The potential to be as meaningful as the rear-cover praise suggests is diminished by a slow read in the passive voice and a glossing-over of the powerful ethical argument they allows the contradictory system of military discourse to function without alerting the public to the need for critical reflection.