Coming 4/21/26. Preorder now.
A deeply intimate portrait of the lives of four men that examines — in profound and comprehensive ways — what it means to be a man in America.
Official page at Hachette Book Group
Men wield vast power across all major institutions. But they are falling behind across all measures of well-being and success. Loving husbands and absent fathers, corporate strivers and displaced workers, the objects and instruments of incredible violence, they encompass half the population. Yet when mentioned as a bloc, people often ask, What’s wrong with them?
American Men is a book that burrows deep into the lives of four men, exploring how each of them constructs their relationship to masculinity and how they navigate that relationship over time. They include Ryan, an amateur fighter from the Akwesasne Mohawk territory who struggles to come to terms with both his sexuality as a closeted gay man and his draw toward bar room violence; Gideon, a tall and handsome West Point graduate and former baseball star who unravels when he encounters challenges to his status as the white masculine ideal; Joseph, a Seattle law student whose marriage teeters on the brink of turmoil as he tries on his own to contend with the effects of childhood sexual trauma; and Nate, a young Ohio man still living at home and trying to establish security for himself in a rural pocket of a red state, where he’s under threat as someone who is Black, transgender, and poor. Written with searing intimacy after five years of reporting, American Men interweaves these men’s stories into a mosaic that explores identity, heritage, and the pressures and performance of American masculinity.
Advance Praise for AMERICAN MEN
“A masterclass in empathetic storytelling that brings us into the lives of real men grappling with the silent pressures of masculinity. With profound sensitivity and unwavering curiosity, Jordan Ritter Conn listens deeply and writes with a rare generosity of spirit.” -Gilbert King, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Devil in the Grove
“Wise, insightful, and harrowing, American Men will leave readers both shattered and inspired — and grateful for Jordan Ritter Conn’s humanity. This book dares to suggest that even as his subjects struggle — and sometimes fail — there is also occasion for hope. At turns heart wrenching and uplifting, American Men showcases Conn’s remarkable gifts as a storyteller, and as a man.” -Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us and (with Jodi Picoult) New York Times bestseller Mad Honey
“A deeply immersive, intimate look into the lives of four men from vastly different backgrounds and experiences. Beautifully woven together, their stories reveal the current, confused state of American masculinity.” -Wright Thompson, New York Times bestselling author of The Barn and Pappyland