Danger & Play: Essays on Embracing Masculinity Paperback – October 21, 2016

This is a collection of 57 posts from the author Mike Cernovich’s popular website Danger and Play. As such it’s a peek into his thought processes on a number of men’s topics, some of which may be more interesting to you than others. Unlike a lot of other “blog compilation” eBooks this one is worth your while, particularly if you’ve read his book Gorilla Mindset, to which this book is sort of a “making of.” Cernovich pulls no punches and he has a lot to say. If you listen to him you can benefit from his knowledge and experience.The book is made up of seven sections as follows: Masculinity, Health and Fitness, Relationships and Dating, Friends and Family, Business and Career Success, Mindset, Motivation and Inspiration. You’ll find that personal accountability is the reoccurring theme throughout. There is also an interview with a social psychologist and a lengthy transcript of a podcast with a renowned Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor. These are intriguing conversations. The Tony Robbins and Jordan Belfort seminar reviews are useful breakdowns if you’re not able to or have no inclination to attend one. As with most collections, you can read through from start to finish if you want, but you’re better served by looking at the topics that are interesting to you and if you find an essay that grabs you, do a deeper dive from there.Some small complaints: some rough aspects of the transition from the blog to the eBook like missing links, non-obvious in-text references to other websites or other posts on the Danger & Play website, some formatting issues, etc. As I said above, if an essay grabs your attention, go to the website and look up the actual post. You’ll often be rewarded by the extra effort with additional information or useful links. The only thing really lacking is an author’s or editor’s note to introduce the sections to provide context to the included posts. This would have been nice to have but it’s not a deal breaker.Overall, this collection is worth the read.

[Originally posted at: http://masculinebooks.com/2015/11/09/danger-and-play-essays-on-embracing-masculinity-by-mike-cernovich/]It was perfect timing. As I was preparing for my flight later that morning I was happy to see that Essays on Embracing Masculinity appeared on my Kindle. I had some reading to catch up on for other subjects, but I just couldn’t help but devour these essays on my plane rides two weekends ago, as well as any other free time I’ve had.Essays on Embracing Masculinity by Mike Cernovich, author of Gorilla Mindset and Juice Power, is a ‘best-of’ collection, with dozens of articles from Danger & Play. I’d read most of his articles and listened to most of his podcasts already, but I wanted to buy it anyway. Sure, you can go to his site and sift through hundreds of posts—800 articles and 100+ podcasts according to his last article—and you’d come away a lot better off. But, it’s clear that some articles stand above the others, and it’s nice to have a select group of articles to be able to go back to from time to time.A Wake-Up CallI always shake my head when I see guys posting stuff like ‘Wow! This really got me pumped up and motivated!!’ on social media or in the comments section of a website. The fact is that you shouldn’t constantly need motivation to achieve your goals.Do you really need someone to tell you to go have sex with pretty girls?Or to work hard and make money?Or to go to the gym and look good?The only way to be successful is to cultivate intrinsic motivation to help push you to achieve your goals.Yet, sometimes we do need a swift kick in the ass. As I was reading some of the articles, I realized I’ve been falling short on some things. Right now I am busier than I’ve ever been. While I’m getting a lot done, it means certain things have fallen to the wayside.This is not good. I need to get back on track.Plenty of these articles made me self-aware of this—these two stood out:A Tale of Two MenYou’re Not Entitled to HappinessNot for Your Average ManIn the airport and on the plane, there were times when I became a little self-conscious when a title from one of these articles appeared in large font on my Kindle screen—what if someone was staring over my shoulder?This shouldn’t bother me, yet I felt like the content was almost provocative by our modern standards. This is because much of the content discussed in Essays on Embracing Masculinity is anathema to most people, even young men. Setting goals, working hard, and being shamelessly masculine have become almost taboo because masculinity has been so greatly denigrated in our society.While this can’t bode well for society as a whole, it’s great for guys like you and me who have discovered this type of information.Choice of ArticlesWhen selecting a ‘Best of’ collection, the choice of articles certainly plays a big role. The articles picked here were chosen because they are the best in one of the categories laid out in the book: Mindset, Health and Fitness, Business among others.Personally I’m not a huge fan on the articles relating to state, Tony Robbins, spiritual stuff etc. as some as other guys are. I prefer the more substantive, ‘How-To’ articles–though beggars can’t be choosers. Here were a few of my favorites:How to Make Better Eye ContactMake Big MovesWhat’s Your 5-Year Plan? Your 10-Year Plan?One of, if not perhaps my favorite piece, was the transcript of a podcast with Nic Gabriel. It’s simply fantastic, and I’d like to see more of these podcasts with guests where a dialogue gets going.Other articles that stood out to me were ones that made me feel guilty. What I mean by that is that I was basically getting called out from the book, though it wasn’t directly aimed at me. For example, in one of the articles Mike talks about being generous and not being stingy . The weekend I read the book I was with old friends, and was never the guy to offer to pay first. There are reasons for that, but it made me reconsider my behavior.When most people read something that makes them become more aware of their flaws, they get irate. They’ll either complain and justify their behavior to themselves or stop reading altogether. I used to do this, but I started listening when guys older and more successful than me were speaking. Wall St. Playboys is a good example.Closing ThoughtsI breezed through the book. I tend to do that, although it’s not a good habit as it’s better to take time to digest the material. In a few months I’ll go back and read it again—like I did with Gorilla Mindset.

I don't write many reviews as I never know what to say. I haven't even finished this book yet. So why review this book? Well, I had a major, potentially life-changing epiphany while reading just the first sections, and so far, the rest of the book is a road map to getting my life on track. Frankly, I realized that I'm not nearly as far along the path as I thought. I also see why I feel like I have no direction in life despite making so many positive steps over the last few years. It's finally clicked exactly what's wrong, why it's wrong, and how I can fix it.I've been grasping around the edges of some of the ideas Mr. Cernovich presents, but he gets straight to the essence, including specific, actionable advice. For example, I've already cut ties with the people in my life who enabled and encouraged my bad habits, but now I want to actively cultivate a circle of friends who inspire each other to be better. Other things, like the way he presents the importance of purpose, are mind-blowing to me. I really believe this book has altered my life's trajectory. And I've still got half a book left.If you want to grow as a man and learn how to earn the happiness to which Mr. Cernovich so correctly states you are not entitled, you absolutely must read this book.

I reread this often. It's especially precious now that the blog is down.

Este libro recopila los mejores artículos de D&P y los ordena por categorías, una idea fantástica debido a que considero que este es un libro de cabecera y que dependiendo el momento de tu vida puedes buscar guía en alguno de los tópicos tratados por Mike.La filosofía de D&P es sencilla, debes tomar el toro por los cuernos, disfrutar el juego y el peligro, debes abrazar la idea que si quieres algo en la vida debes armarte de valor, trabajar arduamente e ir por aquello que deseas. Solo hay dos tipos de personas, aquellas que lloran y se deprimen o aquellas que se levantan y se secan las lágrimas.Recomendaría este libro a todas aquellas que están cansadas de las palabras amables y carentes de significado, este libro es para los tomadores de acción y modeladores del mundo. Este libro tirará por los suelos todos tus paradigmas y te abrirá una visión nueva de la vida y de las personas. 100% recomendable.

Mike Cernovich, where to start...I've been following Danger and Play (Mike's Website) for over three years and implemented all his advice in my life. I come to the conclusion now after three years that it is way too extreme. What people in the man o sphere don't seem to understand is that other people also have feelings and men do not need to constantly 'dominate'. After reading Tucker Max' Mating Grounds my interactions with women and people in general increased the way Mike would have me promised. This book is great if you hate the world and want to dive deep in your inner soul, which will occur, you will get to know yourself, but the exterior advice is outright ill-advice.

Essays is in my opinion a must read for men. It contains actionable advice on how to be a masculine man in a feminized and political correct society that shames masculinity on a daily basis. So if you want to grow as a man and you are not a long time reader from Cernovich as I was then I highly recommend it.

This book is a selection of essays which were published on the author's website. The essays are well written, and logically grouped together to guide the reader through various topics related to masculinity. For me the essays inspired a lot of self reflection, so if you're interested in improving your life, or you need a trigger to start you on the journey to self improvement, I highly recommend this book. If you love this book, you'll definitely want to read  Gorilla Mindset: How to Control Your Thoughts and Emotions to Live Life on Your Terms .In conclusion, five stars. Gorilla Mindset: How to Control Your Thoughts and Emotions to Live Life on Your Terms