The purpose of our Let’s Talk Healthy Masculinity booklist is to offer a different focus to the more often discussed toxic masculinity that sadly impacts all people, regardless of their gender, as well as the wider society we all live in. While it is vital to discuss the ways that a culture and model of toxic masculinity can influence how men think and behave we believe it is equally important to open dialogue around the myriad positive parts of masculinity and the ways that boys and men can be kind, nurturing, protective, tender, respectful, sensitive, supportive, emotional, creative and playful if they are given the blueprint and the freedom to be so.
The books in this booklist are mostly fiction titles that we have chosen because the male protagonists or supporting male characters illustrate diverse and healthy representations of masculinity and offer positive modelling for boys and young men. Many of the titles also include representations of toxic masculinity in contrast to healthy masculinity and offer opportunities for discussion. Some of the topics these books explore include romantic, sexual, platonic and familial relationships, mental health, race, disability, bullying, harassment, gender identity and sexuality. We have also included some non-fiction titles that explore masculinity from personal, sociological, academic and philosophical angles.