Books that Feature the Theme of Masculinity

This thematic Collection centers books that explore the concepts of manhood and masculinity. Through novels, plays, and literary genres, a diverse chorus of authors examines various interpretations of masculine identity and the masculine experience through coming-of-age stories, war narratives, and fantasy realms.

Publication year 2014

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Community, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery

Tags LGBTQ, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Gender / Feminism, Biography


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class

Tags Romance, Sports, New Adult, Modern Classic Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community

Tags LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Colonialism, Society: War

Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Afrofuturism, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Children's Literature


Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Identity: Masculinity

Tags Sports, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Relationships

John Grisham, known best for writing legal dramas such as The Pelican Brief and The Firm, branches into writing for young adults with his sports drama, Bleachers. The novel was originally published in 2003 and is loosely inspired by Grisham’s own experience as a high school quarterback in Mississippi. Bleachers follows former all-American quarterback Neely Crenshaw, who returns after 15 years to his small hometown of Messina. Neely and the rest of the former players... Read Bleachers Summary


Publication year 1972

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Education, Education, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Bless Me, Ultima is a novel by American author Rudolfo Anaya (1937-2020). Published in 1972 by independent Chicanx publishing house TQS Publications, it is one of the first literary accounts of Chicanx culture to attain widespread acclaim in the United States. The novel is a semi-autobiographical account based on Ayana’s experience of coming of age in post-World War II New Mexico. Anaya explores themes of the Multiplicity within Chicanx Identity, Catholicism, Innocence Versus the Power... Read Bless Me, Ultima Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Gender

Tags Parenting, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help, Health / Medicine


Publication year 1977

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief

Tags Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Grief / Death, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Poverty

Bridge to Terabithia is a 1977 children’s novel written by Katherine Paterson. Paterson is best-known for her children’s books, two of which earned Newbery Medals: Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved (1981). She was inspire to write Bridge to Terabithia after her son’s best friend was killed by lightning. It has since become a classic, beloved by readers for its exploration of themes like Finding Connection as an Outsider, The Stages of Grief... Read Bridge to Terabithia Summary


Publication year 1901

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, German Literature, History: World, Classical Period

Thomas Mann’s novel Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family was first published in 1901 and came to be recognized as a monumental work in the canon of modern literature. Thomas Mann (1875­–1955) was a German novelist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929 for his novels, Buddenbrooks and The Magic Mountain. Mann draws on his own family history to craft Buddenbrooks’ narrative, demonstrating profound understanding of societal and familial dynamics in the... Read Buddenbrooks Summary


Publication year 2004

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Language, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Latin American Literature


Publication year 1955

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Education, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Education, Education, History: World


Publication year 1955

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity

Tags Southern Gothic, Play: Drama, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, American Literature, Southern Literature, History: World, Drama / Tragedy

First performed in 1955, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is one of American playwright Tennessee Williams’s best-known works. This classic play won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle award for Best American Play, and was adapted into a 1958 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. Adapted from Williams’s short story “Three Players of a Summer Game,” the three-act Cat on a Hot Tin Roof occurs in real-time as the Pollitt family gathers... Read Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender

Tags Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance


Publication year 1949

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity

Tags LGBTQ, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, History: World

Confessions of a Mask is a novel by Yukio Mishima, first published in Japan in 1949. The novel takes place during and immediately after World War II and centers on the struggles of a young man named Kochan. It has significant elements of the coming-of-age (bildungsroman) and queer literature genres, as Kochan is a closeted gay man trying to navigate his complex inner life and sexuality in contrast with his carefully controlled outer persona. The... Read Confessions of a Mask Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Midlife

Tags Japanese Literature, Relationships, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature


Publication year 1608

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Elizabethan Era, Play: Tragedy, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy

Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, likely written around 1607-1608. The play is set in Ancient Rome, much like Shakespeare’s other plays Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, and Antony and Cleopatra. Coriolanus dramatizes the life of the legendary Roman soldier Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus, a patrician who was exiled from the Roman Republic in the 5th century BC after an unsuccessful bid to become consul. Through this narrative, Shakespeare explores themes of the difficulties of controlling... Read Coriolanus Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction


Publication year 1914

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Education, Education, History: World, Irish Literature, Arts / Culture, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2004

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction