“There are some very sweet moments in Philip Nork's autobiography Sensitivity 101 for the Heterosexual Male! Then, there are some very callous moments just as equally potent. Does Phil truly learn to be sensitive?
After his parents' divorce, eight-year-old Phil becomes the man of the house. It is the beginning of a stressful, misguided and confusing childhood. With other children to raise and a family to support as a single parent, Phil's mother has much to worry about. Phil feels like he lost, not one, but two parents in the divorce. He is suddenly all alone, isolated in a way few people should ever feel with no idea of how to return to an emotionally stable, peaceful life.
Angry at the world in general, angry at his dad specifically, Phil begins a personal mission to make sure that he never becomes "a typical man." He decides he is going to be the kind of man that women can count on no matter what.
As Phil searches for love and happiness through many different women page after page of the book, he shares the lessons he learns along the way. Mistakes are made. Hearts are broken. Phil tries and conquers many different ambitions and fails many more throughout his educational career, never quite finding himself through any of his ventures.
This book was not what I expected. I really wanted the conclusion to leave me feeling inspired, but it didn't quite happen. Young Phil was so lost in this book that I really wanted him to find true love at the end, particularly self-love. I wanted him to find his calling in life. I wanted him to feel confidant, empowered and ready to take on the world as a man by the end of the book. But, alas, I think Phil still had some growing to do. He was only eighteen by the end, and honestly, reality never quite accomplishes the happily-ever-after we all look for, does it?
I do think Phil learned a great deal from beginning to end here. I would recommend this book to the young men out there. There are some definite lessons to grow on.”
