Any Man

4.5/5

i loved this. the different styles of storytelling were so interesting and engaging, especially considering the heavy subject matter. a difficult read but an amazing one!

be aware of what the book is about, take it seriously
then read it
the depiction of the trauma that it is, is amazing

I feel like i HAVE to give this book 5 stars. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. 

The poetry was so beautiful, so touching. The way the author brings across what she wants to say was amazing. I've annotated the absolute hell out of this book, every line written was so meaningful and gorgeous.

I've never read anything like this before and i don't think I'll ever read anything like this again. Wow.

unforgettable and powerful.

i love what this book had to say and how it was told. it really expressed something that most don't understand. this book has some truly sick moments 

I'm going to reread this once I have the audiobook because I think it will be much more impactful. I read this in one sitting. It was powerful, raw, and so emotional. I loved the format of different POVs and mixed media, but I think it would shine and be a little less confusing for me if I listened to it while reading. This book will always be in the back of my mind. 

I only know Amber Tamblyn from Joan of Arcadia and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, when I saw she authored a book I kind of assumed it would be the typical contemporary fiction. I was wrong. Way wrong. This is about the aftermath of a sick woman ruining lives. This book was amazing. I wasn't a fan of the poetry aspect though.

Que livro! Nem vou falar muito porque pretendo escrever uma resenha caprichadinha pra livraria do meu coração Livraria da tarde, onde achei essa pérola, da editora que aliás á está virando do meu coração também, a Primavera Editorial - a edição já vale o livro, certamente. A perspectiva de homens objeto, vitimizados, estuprados, vítimas de um crime sexual violento, é distinta e nos desperta emoções no mínimo curiosas.

I read this book fast. It pulled me in and I loved the writing. But after the halfway mark, I realized it just wasn't going anywhere specific. I get what the book is trying to do, but it's basically, and I hate to use this word, propaganda. The author had a political message and wanted to convey that through this story. That's the point of this book. I think that takes away from any powerful statement it could have. The writing is great, though, and I'd love for her to dedicate her writing to a real story, plot, and characters. Everything in this book was just too vague.

It's been a what-am-I-missing kind of week.

Synopsis: over the course of ten years, five men are raped. Violently, gruesomely, disfiguringly and traumatazingly. They are disbelieved, mocked, shamed. Online hate groups form. TV shows humiliate them. (There's also love compassion healing and kindness). Five men, over ten years, experiencing what thousands of women suffer every day.

What is Tamblyn's goal? To get men to empathize? (I suspect that not many rape-defending men will be reading this book). To show our societal hypocrisy, where rape is suddenly treated as a high-priority crime once it starts happening to men? (Well, no, because there's none of that. No perps are found, no major efforts are made to resolve the crimes). Should I feel furious? Discouraged? I do, but I already did.

What am I missing?

This book is horrifying, incredible, beautiful, and important. It's not easy to read by any means, but you must.

The format isn't for everyone but I will think about this book for a long time to come. It's a powerful narrative on the impact of rape.