How do young working-class men experience the transition to adulthood? In his new book Young Working-Class Men in Transition (Routledge, 2018), Steven Roberts talks directly to young men to gain their insight into this topic. A highlight of this book is that Roberts presents the theoretical backdrops for both masculinity and youth studies in an accessible way. In the text, he explores the “crisis rhetoric” often used around narratives of masculinity, in addition to more traditional theories like hegemonic masculinity. By focusing on young men who work in the service sector, Roberts encourages readers to think beyond typical narratives of young men’s lives and shines a light on the “missing middle” of young men and their stories. Roberts explores young men’s lived experiences in education, employment, as well as domestic responsibilities, emotions, and intimacy.
The complete text would be a great addition to any general gender or masculinity course, but particular chapters could also be used as stand-alone pieces on particular topics. This book would also be a great text to use in any course that discusses the transition to adulthood.

Sarah E. Patterson is a postdoc at the University of Western Ontario. You can tweet her at @spattersearch.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices