"How to Be a Man" book review

"Being a man really means being everything a man can be," writes Glenn O'Brien in "How to Be a Man: A Guide to Style and Behavior For the Modern Gentleman."
"Under the right circumstances and with the right effort, a man can be far more than just a man; he can be a gentleman, a sportsman, an inventor, an artist, a philosopher, a bard, a magician, or a hero."
O'Brien, whom Calvin Klein calls "the Socrates of popular culture," covers almost every aspect of a man's life, including fashion, social behavior, religion, eating and drinking. The book also offers an appendix with random tips for living.
This lifestyle guide from Rizzoli International Publications, illustrated by Jean-Philippe Delhomme, is written with humor and wit. It contains tips that men may find useful and both men and women will find entertaining.
The 302-page hardcover features short history lessons, descriptive clothing details and advice on how to deal with different life situations based on O'Brien's own experiences. He writes about music, fashion and art for GQ magazine as "The Style Guy" and has worked at Rolling Stone and Interview magazines and as a stand-up comedian and advertising creative director.
He gives his opinion on everything from drinking to smoking to exercise.
"If you can walk there, do it, not only for the exercise but because that's how a man gets ideas. The rhythm of walking, combined with the concept of moving from point to point, is the perfect context for ideation."
The chapter "How to Smoke," begins with the Frank Sinatra quote, "You die your way and I'll die mine."
O'Brien delves into religion and politics, two subjects which should usually be avoided in conversation because "you can't win." His tips on how to act when taking out a lady and how to age well are both practical and over the top.
His descriptive, colorful writing makes simple, seemingly obvious tips take on a new life and seem fresh. Little bits of wisdom and insight make this a book not only for those interested in fashion or style, but for any man who wants to learn, laugh and just enjoy an engaging read.
Where he ultimately shines is in his style chapters. "A man must wear a suit. He must not be a suit," he writes.
He enthusiastically endorses looking your best at all times. While his style advice is geared to men -- with details on socks, hats, scarves, suits and shirts -- he makes you think a little bit deeper about why you wear what you wear or do what you do.
"Fashion is based on the idea of forced progress," he writes. "But unlike science, fashion's progress is not real. We don't dress differently today than we did yesterday because we know more or have learned anything at all. It's novelty for its own sake."
O' Brien is a positive man who is unlike any other, and he encourages individuality in everyone, if only in how they appear.
"Conformity has given us nothing but war, boredom, misery, and bad television," he writes. "We must dress as only we can. ...Together we'll change the world, one stitch at a time."

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/407174_GQ-s--Socrates--dispenses-some-sage-lifestyle-advice.html#ixzz1PpE56web