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Amateur

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About this listen

In this groundbreaking new audiobook, Thomas Page McBee, a trans man, trains to fight in a charity match at Madison Square Garden while struggling to untangle the vexed relationship between masculinity and violence.

Through his experience of boxing - learning to get hit and to hit back; wrestling with the camaraderie of the gym; confronting the betrayals and strength of his own body - McBee examines the weight of male violence, the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes and the limitations of conventional masculinity. A wide-ranging exploration of gender in our society, Amateur is ultimately a story of hope, as McBee traces a way forward: a new masculinity, inside the ring and out of it.

A graceful and uncompromising exploration of living, fighting and healing, in Amateur we gain insight into the stereotypes and shifting realities of masculinity today through the eyes of a new man.

©2018 Thomas Page McBee (P)2018 Canongate Books Ltd Biographies & Memoirs Boxing Combat Sports & Self-Defense Essays Gender Studies LGBTQ+ Studies Social Sciences Sports Nonfiction Combat Sports Wrestling

Critic reviews

‘Such an important piece of trans literature to support and one that spoke to me deeply’ Elliot Page
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Well written and I do not expect someone writing about their own life's story to be a literary genius (otherwise no one would write about anything), but this was a remarkable piece.

I felt so involved with the story, urging for a win. The writing was focused on a very specific time period with moments of reflection, being read by the author and it just felt so heartfelt, so personal. Thank you Thomas for sharing this journey with us, a remarkable feat.

An extremely interesting insight

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