Wow what an interesting book, I love Grayson Perry and someone I would and enjoyed reading about his childhood memories.
I loved the cartoons drawn by Grayson. This was an interesting take on masculinity an the impact on society.
A thought provoking read

Grayson Perry is a genius. What more really needs to be said. I do feel this is a book more men should read and that perhaps I'm not exactly the target audience. The thing I love about Perry is that he makes me think. He challenges me and I like that I find it infuriating when I can't quite grasp the point he's trying to make.

Grayson Perry writes with the warmth and wit he displays on TV. Accessible writing covering important topics. Should be on school reading list for teenagers

Darwin's the Descent of Man was an early attempt to understand the meachanisms of sex and its place in natural selection. Well over a century later Grayson Perry looks at what it means to be a man in the twenty-first century.
Concepts of masculinity, attractiveness, fashion, and even ... emotion.
Perry asks useful questions about how men see themselves, and what they believe about how others see them.
This book was actually requested by the Art department who believed their students would be able to draw on its, sometimes idiosyncratic, way of looking at the world.
An excellent book.

Went through a phase of getting "read now" books that sounded vaguely interesting. Never got around to reading this one.

Very enjoyable for a non fiction book which is not my usual forte. Hit on so many good points on why the modern toxicity in men is so prevalent.

A unique look at a timely topic. Grayson writes with verve and wit - a personally honest look at masculinity with universal scope.

I ended up dipping in and out of this. To be honest, by the time I got the book it felt as if events had overtaken the world being talked about. I'd love to see a re-edition taking in Trump and Me Too.

If you've ever done any masculinity or gender studies, Descent of Man doesn't particularly add much that is new but it's particularly engaging without jargon so would be great for men just starting to question toxic masculinity.

"The most pervasive aspect of the Default Man identity is that it masquerades very efficiently as 'normal' - and 'normal' along with 'natural', is a dangerous word, often at the root of hateful prejudice"

An essential, accessible read that everyone should have on their bookshelves. What does it mean to be 'masculine' in the current world? This is a critical analysis on what the social construct of being a man is; have we actually come much further than the cave man? Perry discusses behaviours that come with the norms defined by society. Written with humour and bite, a wonderful book, and one I will be recommending to all in the years to come.

I enjoyed every page of this wonderful, thought-provoking book, which will genuinely change how I view masculinity and the world we live in.

A brilliant and accessible read, a must for all the men in my life!

Fantastic and humorous look at masculinity in the 21st century. This is essential reading for anyone who is / identifies as male, and for anyone who interacts with men in general (i.e. everyone).

I found The Descent of Man to be a thoughtful exploration of masculinity and feminism, but thought it lost its way a little towards the end. Perry certainly has some interesting ideas, and I loved the artwork poking fun at some of the more obvious problems with the way masculinity is often seen as the only way to be a proper man, but he doesn’t really take those ideas to their full conclusions. And while this is a criticism, I make it in the full knowledge that I would definitely not have been able to do any better!

The parts I really enjoyed were Perry’s anecdotes, whether from his own upbringing, forcing him to look at his own prejudices and points of view, or from people he met while filming the TV programme on similar themes. He’s an excellent writer, able to paint a vivid picture with a few words, and I definitely plan to read his other work.

Throughout my years at university I increasingly focused on the female characters in novels, and then in medieval English literature. I was fascinated, and still am, by how female characters are represented in fiction, how these representations reflect the lives of women in the real world, and what this tells us about femininity. My focus on gender naturally also meant I occasionally talked about male characters and masculinity, but never with the kind of detail I dedicated to women. And when I saw The Descent of Man I noticed this gap in my knowledge and decided there were decidedly worse places to start than with Grayson Perry's witty and insightful road map for a future masculinity. Thanks to Penguin Books, Allen Lane and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I could say I knew more about Grayson Perry than I did, before I started reading The Descent of Man. I was vaguely aware of him and his work through some of my friends who studied art, but I hadn't encountered any of it myself. As such, I picked up The Descent of Man without any preconceived notions as to who Perry himself was or what he might have to say. When it comes to writing about gender, and writing about gender roles, so much is subjective that an author's own life is often crucial to understanding their arguments. Grayson Perry, then, is a fascinating man. As a transvestite and an artist, many might put him firmly outside the box labelled 'traditional man'. Yet he also comes from a difficult family past and feels the competitive joy of sports and motorcycles, edging him potentially back into that box. He walks the fine line between 'in' and 'out' and it gives him the chance to cast a fascinating light on the inner world of 'being a man'. As

I was particularly struck by a comment of Perry's in an interview with Penguin Books, in which he formulated a thought that had occurred to me while reading The Descent of Man:
'Women look forward. Men always look back'
With the increasing presence of feminism and women's right at the forefront of contemporary concerns, many young women and girls are growing up with a stronger sense of their opportunities, possibilities and even struggles. There is a sense in which we (women) are all looking forward to a future in which equality will have been reached for all and gender norms no longer constrain us. Of course this is a gross generalisation, but there is undeniably a shift in how women see themselves and their futures. The male conception of self has not developed alongside that of women, and the different types of Man Perry identifies within The Descent of Man all seem stuck in the past. There seems to be a nostalgia among young men for a time they never lived in and probably wouldn't much appreciated if they did. It's a direct cause for Trump's 'Make America Great Again' slogan, a desire for a time in which everything was simpler.

The Descent of Man shows clearly that trying to define what a man in the 21st century can be is not an easy process. Neither is trying to define what a woman is, what her role may be or, heaven forbid, should be, but women are successfully bringing this conversation into the spotlight. Perhaps what men need is to care more about themselves and other men, to look for a better future together, rather than a just ok-ish present for some of them. While feminists still have to work on making their movement more intersectional and multi-issue, it is going in the right direction. A lot of this work depends on emotions, something that is also central to The Descent of Man in many ways. It is about connecting, about sharing, and about revealing, before it is about building, progressing and succeeding. The Descent of Man ends with Perry's suggestions of the tenets of feminism for men, goals that, if adopted, could lead to a world with happier men, loving men and successful men.

Perry's writing style is both insightful and witty. He writes with an easy that makes the book feel conversational, as if you've sat down for a good chat with a stranger during a flight overlay and walk away with a different outlook on things. Perry's assessment of men, and the societies they live in, can be very sharp and to the point, but there is always an awareness there. Unlike other books on gender, such as the very academic but fascinating A History of Virility, Perry's The Descent of Man openly shares the pressures he himself feels to "be a man", "behave like a man" and what he does when those pressures close in. He understands, in other words, rather than condemning at first sight behaviour that might seem outlandish. There are lough-out-loud moments in The Descent of Man, but also moments of quiet reflection which hit close to home. As a woman, I feel I did walk away from this book with a better awareness, if not, perhaps, understanding, for the struggles that are particularly male.

The Descent of Man gave an amazing insight not only into Grayson Perry as a person and a writer, but also into the mind of a man looking at men. Written with humour and sharp perceptiveness, Perry takes the reader on a journey (partially of self-discovery) through what being a man can mean. I'd mainly recommend this book to those interested in gender and masculinity, but also to those looking for an eye-opener in general. It's funny, the things that can come to the forefront when you least expect it.

A short book, nonetheless, an interesting read on masculinity. Despite the non-fiction genre, it has lots of personal experiences thrown in with real-life examples, plus loads of stats and humour. So it doesn't feel like a hard slog. Quite the opposite. An intelligent book that would appeal to both sexes across all ages.

One part memoir, two parts essay about how toxic masculinity impacts all of us and the world around us.
It's very much part anecdotal, part stats, but in a way I found pretty concise and accessible. There's a lot of discussion about how masculinity is performed differently by different classes and this was the bit I found most interesting, having grown up with almost all of the men I knew being working class.
This isn't a concept that's new to me, but I think this will be a good place to start for a fair few people. It's by no means perfect, a bit too pro military with some controversial opinions about conscription, but overall I found it interesting and a good read.
Also, y'know, it's by Grayson Perry so of course there's some fun art too.

A considered analysis of the state of masculinity in the 21st century. An articulate and thought provoking read.

I found this book fascinating, extremely well written and insightful.
Definitely food for thought.
A masculinity myth-busting must-read for all ages and genders.