A Better Man

A (Mostly Serious) Letter to My Son

By: Michael Ian Black

Narrated by: Michael Ian Black

Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

A poignant look at boyhood, in the form of a heartfelt letter from comedian Michael Ian Black to his teenage son before he leaves for college, and a radical plea for rethinking masculinity and teaching young men to give and receive love.

“As a parent of both boys and girls, I find myself rebuffing the gender-based cultural assumptions that are foisted on them more frequently than I could have ever imagined. Thank you, Michael Ian Black, for challenging society’s antiquated approach to raising boys and deepening the conversation about what we actually want for our kids. Sir, you are a good egg.” (Samatha Bee, host of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee)

In this thoughtful, inspiring, and deeply personal audiobook, comedian, actor, and father Michael Ian Black gets (mostly) serious about the trouble with masculinity. In the form of a heartfelt letter to his college-bound son - but with ideas sure to resonate for many parents - he reveals his own complicated relationship with his father, explores the damage caused by the expectations placed on boys to “man up", and searches for the best way to help his son be part of the solution, not the problem, in a world in which the word masculinity now goes hand in hand with “toxic".

Part memoir, part advice audiobook, Black delivers a poignant answer to an urgent question: How can we be, and raise, better men? A Better Man is for parents, yes, but it is also for anyone looking for a path forward as we navigate the complex gender issues of our time.

©2020 Michael Ian Black (P)2020 Recorded Books

Good advice can be boring. This is not.

A well supported and funny look at what it means to be a better man.

Thank you

Just a big thank you for the author. It shouldn’t take that much bravery to speak to your son that way, but I guess it’s the point of the book. Anyone with a son, young or old, should take a listen.

Loved it

As a father to a young son, this was exactly what I wanted and needed. I loved this book. Funny, sweet, and smart, it speaks to my own hopes and thoughts about sharing with my son what it means to, one day, become a man.

You get me MIB, you get me

As the parent of two teenage boys, this book spoke to so many of the fears, hopes, dreams, and anxiety I feel as they get closer and closer to leaving home. A beautiful letter to a son in today’s world with an increasingly complex view of masculinity. You did it again, Michael Ian Black.

Terrific and recommend

Quick paced, heartfelt, warm and funny. He nails it and I indeed to steal most of his ideas for myself and my son as we move through life.

Every man needs to hear this

This is the book that every man wishes their Dad wrote them. In typical Michael Ian Black style, it is humorous but also realistic. After listening to the introduction alone, I recommend this book to numerous friends. This is a very heartfelt book with current modern day advice. He talks about consent, hiding in depression, and the differences between sex, love and intimacy.

Better Than The Bible

Clearly when MIB wrote “A Better Man,” he was alluding to being a better man than Jesus was...and boy did he deliver. I ran this book through every test imaginable, and it beat the Bible in every category of every test (including taste). If you’re looking for one book to make as your sole guide for parenting, this is your book!

AMAZING!!! Every person should read this!

No matter your age or gender, read this book!
If you've ever felt alone or nervous about being a grown up, read this book.
Even if you think you know it all, you don't. Read this book.

Wisdom and compassion for new men

An honest and soul-searching reaching-out to those becoming men. this book examines what being a real man means, not macho or in a toxic way, but with compassion and understanding. It's a wonderful gift for humans of truth and love, written and well-read by the author.

grows on you

I'll admit that at first I jumped around to other books because I wasn't getting into it...once I finally gave it a real shot, I loved it. this is a beautiful story and I recommend it to any parent or child of parents.