Second reading:
Hof funny. I have an even higher regard for this book than my first reviewing it in 2015 (now 2017). I was also simultaneously reading Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) and Tribe of Mentors (Timothy Ferris). Actually was a great combination. What Aurelius wrote in 170 AD obviously fit within What is Man and includes a chapter from his Meditations (pages 253-259). Unlike the anthology of world history of What is A Man, Tribe of Mentors is a collection of 'accomplished' people alive today, sharing what leads to 'success'.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter The American Man. Breathtaking reading these ideals that have stood the test of time and yet ring pertinent from today's headlines! Make sure you read Lincoln's "Towering Genius Disdains a Beaten Path", penned 22 years before he was inaugurated. If only the politicians of today could point to a life history of core values that far back in their own lives.

First reading:
OUTSTANDING BOOK! Buy as many copies as you can and give them to every young man in your life! Would have been great supplemental reading when I went to enlisted and officer Marine Corps. ABSOLUTELY INDISPENSABLE LIFELONG READING! Best book I have purchased in ten years! ( )

Good, maybe stating the obvious, but still well worth reading. ( )

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much from this book, as most of this type are loaded with fillers, with very few real gems. But that isn't the case at all. From Francis Bacon on Love, to St. Augustine on the path to manhood, to Kurt Cobain on how fatherhood changed his life, this book answers almost every question where being a man is concerned.

If you're excepting false macho posturing, you'll be disappointed as every passage in this large book (over 500 pages) is insightful, deeply thought out, and sincere.

There are hundreds of passages, some only a paragraph long, some pages long. The subjects are varied, and include Love, Wisdom, Women, Family, Fatherhood, Childhood and adolescence, Honor, Integrity, War, Character and Conduct, Leadership, Nobility, Rebellion, and much more. There are even some poems (including Kipling's outstanding poem 'If', on what it is to be a man), correspondance, and myths. Each passage is prefaced by a bit of commentary by the editor, Waller R. Newell.

My favorite passages were Kipling's 'If', The Man of Character by Charles de Gaulle, A Man Must Stand Erect by Marcus Aurelius, and the couple passages from John F Kennedy. Actually, this collection is so remarkable, it really is hard to choose favorites.

This book reintroduces (as if it were lost!) all the qualities that men are taught to shun these days, namely, honor, pride, responsibility, strength, and dignity.

I can't recommend this book enough. If you're a man, or know a man (so yes, that means just about everyone), you need to get a copy of this book. It is a breath of fresh air, sorely needed, and indispensible. ( )