To Be a Man: A Guide to True Masculine Power

Praise for To Be a Man: A Guide to True Masculine Power

“Any book that unveils the male mystique with empathy and compassion, helping men understand themselves and helping women understand men, and that helps the culture understand the masculine dilemma, should be hailed as a miracle. This is what Robert Augustus Masters does in To Be a Man. Every man should read it as autobiography, every woman should read it as revelation, and our culture should embrace it as a healing balm.” —Harville Hendrix, PhD, author of Getting the Love You Want

“A masterpiece of transformational wisdom.” —Alan Clements, author of Instinct for Freedom and A Future to Believe In

“Robert Augustus Masters has written a powerful guide for men that integrates rigor and receptivity, aggression and authority, vulnerability and potency. With highly developed emotional intelligence and a nuanced understanding of adult development, including the importance of shadow work, Masters delivers a vision of mature, embodied male empowerment.” —Diane Musho Hamilton, author of Everything Is Workable

“Masters’ insights populate every page of this compelling book, and offer creative ways of thinking about many of our era’s most complex issues, among them pornography, sexual violence, militarism and war, the effects of trauma on men’s psyches and identities, and much more.” —Jackson Katz, PhD, author of The Macho Paradox

“In this essential book, Robert Augustus Masters challenges current ideas about what it means to be a man, and explores crucial gender issues that affect every man, boy, woman, and girl on our planet. By uncoupling anger from aggression, sexuality from rape and porn, and masculinity from brutality, Robert supports men and boys in reclaiming the sacredness, magnificence, and true power of healthy masculinity.” —Karla McLaren, author of The Language of Emotions

“The classic handbook for men. To Be a Man calls out the ‘warrior’ to do battle inside, to find authentic masculine power, allowing truly intimate relationships with women, other men, and self.” —Bill Kauth, cofounder of The ManKind Project® and author of A Circle of Men

“Compassionately written and wise, this book invites men to make a conscious distinction between their benevolent and malevolent identifications, and paves the way for a way of being that is both sturdy and heartfelt. Highly recommended for anyone who has grown tired of limiting gender identifications!” —Jeff Brown, author of Soulshaping

“To Be a Man is a very useful guide through the thicket of confusing options in exactly what ‘being a man’ means, or can mean, in today’s postmodern world.” —Ken Wilber, author of The Integral Vision

“A brave and full-blooded dive into the challenges and opportunities facing men in the 21st century.” —Vanessa D. Fisher, co-editor and author of Integral Voices on Sex, Gender & Sexuality: Critical Inquiries

“This important book covers the whole spectrum of men’s experience and challenges today. Masters explains the development of men’s many strengths as well as their compensations, the downsides that so many adopt to ‘be a man,’ including burying some parts of themselves so deeply that they forget that such parts are even there. A book for men who want to embrace their inner life as well as for women who want to understand them.” —Ian MacNaughton, PhD, author of Body, Breath, and Consciousness

“Robert Augustus Masters is one of the essential wisdom teachers of our time. To Be a Man reflects his deep learning, humility, and decades of experience as a therapist, clinician, and healer. In the section of my library where I have a small collection of books about being a man, this book has moved to the top of my list.” —John Dupuy, author of Integral Recovery

“To Be a Man is a book every man should read, especially if they long for their deepest sense of inner peace and wholeness. It’s honest. Raw. Thorough. Deep. Such an important book!” —Mary Allen, author of The Power of Inner Choice

“I have rarely heard such textured thinking from anyone: subtle energetic distinctions on the continuum of destructive and wholesome anger; the willingness to de-normalize pornography and a range of sexual and nonsexual immaturities that many would defend as ‘being myself’; and the willingness to boldly put happiness as the basis of grown-up sex. To Be a Man is a brilliant, compassionate, paradigm-exploding instruction manual for any man—or woman—on the planet. A beautiful, brilliant, fearless, and amazing book!” —Nancy Dreyfus, PsyD, author of Talk to Me Like I’m Someone You Love

“To Be a Man dissects the three words that echo in every man’s psyche: ‘Be a man!’ As a seasoned therapist, Masters identifies the accompanying shame men manifest and gives us a guide toward healthy, sustainable masculinity.” —Joe Ehrmann, former NFL player and author of InSideOut Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives

“This book honors, challenges, teaches, and nurtures me all at once. It shows me where I have the greatest opportunity to grow. Best of all, it celebrates what's truly sacred about being a man.” —Raphael Cushnir, author of The One Thing Holding You Back

“Every once in a while someone comes along and writes a masterpiece, and Robert Augustus Masters’ To Be a Man falls into this category. His book is a true hero’s journey of healing and awakening.” —Hank Wesselman, PhD, author of The Bowl of Light and the Spiritwalker Trilogy

“The old question, ‘What does it mean to be a man?’ has been answered wisely and completely by Robert Masters in the pages of this amazing book. I want every male on the planet to read it, and soon! It could help to heal our deeply wounded masculinity.” —Robert K. Hall, MD, cofounder of the Lomi School