The pop psych book that attempts to deduce our true desires by analyzing millions of search-engine queries is riddled with flawed reasoning and all-too-convenient conclusions.
When Gadgets Betray Us
Andrew Ladd talks security and mobile tech in his review of Robert Vamosi’s When Gadgets Betray Us.
Errands With Andre
GMPM columnist Andrew Ladd meets up with author Andre Dubus III to talk about violence, empathy, and Dubus’ new book, Townie: A Memoir.
Winning Friends and Influencing People, 75 Years Later
Andrew Ladd tackles an updated self-help classic—now sans sexism and racism—to find out whether its advice still holds water in 2011.
Savage City, Great Soul
Andrew Ladd reviews two books that remind us how messy even the most celebrated social change can be.
College Bound
Andrew Ladd takes on Andrew Ferguson’s “Crazy U,” a behind-the-scenes look at the sprawling, expanding, money-hungry industry of higher education.
Taking Guns Out of the Closet
Will Weaver’s “The Last Hunter” highlights one of the biggest stumbling blocks to a productive debate about guns in contemporary America.
Pathological Persuasion
Andrew Ladd wonders if men are a little too excited about the power to control minds.
Science Guys
The hunt for a theoretical particle reveals an alarming trend in science: the competition to be the next “great man”—at any cost.
The Triumph of the Brute
Through his reviews of two novels—Franzen’s “Freedom” and Percy’s “The Wilding”—Andrew Ladd argues that modern men ought to embrace “the rougher side of masculinity.”
On ‘Manthropology’
Andrew Ladd reviews Peter McAllister’s new book, “Manthropology: The Science of Why the Modern Male Is Not the Man He Used to Be.”
The Drugs Don’t Work: Christopher Shulgan’s ‘Superdad’
Shulgan’s memoir about his drug-addicted parenthood is a confrontation with destructive ideas of masculinity. But not all of it rings true.
Rebuilding Pornland
Gail Dines’ Pornland imagines a smut-free world. Here’s a better idea.
Where Men Win Glory
Andrew Ladd weaves his take on the Tillman narrative through reviews of Jon Kracauer’s ‘Where Men Win Glory,’ and Tony Blair’s memoir, ‘A Journey.’
Immortality, Inc.
Can we stop the aging process? Should we? Andrew Ladd explores two books that tackle our quest to stay forever young.
Men Who Stare at Themselves
Andrew Ladd reviews two thrillers about tortured men who insist on solving their own problems.