" Books of essays are, perhaps by their nature, incredibly variable things. Chabon's best work in this book deals with interesting subjects or ideas that still occupy his thoughts today (The Clock of the Long Now, for instance, or his wife's bi-polar disorder). The worst deal with his sexual exploits, the various experiences that he claims have gone into "making him a man" which makes the title more than a bit misleading. The best known of the essays from this book is, perhaps, the most middle of the road: Chabon's discussion of his "murse" and what odd, socially constructed strictures of gender govern where a man keeps his keys, phone and wallet. It's this sort of essay - one where Chabon uses his personal experience to thoughtfully wind his mental way through the world we find ourselves in - that engages the reader's imagination while also being what all essays hope to be: enlightening. "
— Matthew, 1/27/2014