Self-Made Man: One Woman's Year Disguised as a Man

Norah Vincent

Jan 2006 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

A journalist’s provocative and spellbinding account of her eighteen months spent disguised as a man.

Norah Vincent became an instant media sensation with the publication of Self-Made Man, her take on just how hard it is to be a man, even in a man’s world. Following in the tradition of John Howard Griffin (Black Like Me), Vincent spent a year and a half disguised as her male alter ego, Ned, exploring what men are like when women aren’t around. As Ned, she joined a bowling team, took a high-octane sales job, went on dates with women (and men), visited strip clubs, and even managed to infiltrate a monastery and a men’s therapy group. At once thought-provoking and pure fun to read, Self-Made Man is a sympathetic and thrilling tour de force of immersion journalism.

Ratings and reviews

i had to read this book for a class. i hated it, it was littered with useless foul language, it really had no plot, while the woman made some observations, they were observations then most men already know. that is the fact that men don't understand women, and women don't understand men. A waste of a read

For a woman, I gained interesting insight into the male world and things I never understood about men. Although I find the end depressing, and I'm sure her depression affected it at the time. Also I wonder how much her gender issues interferred with the study.

I'd like to preface this with the fact that I am a man, and read this, perhaps subconsciously, wanting verification for my own experiences. Instead, this has opened my eyes to many insights about my own and others' behavior. There were definitely points I agreed on, and I'm fascinated by the depth of the explanations, as well as points I disagreed on, but gained a useful viewpoint on nonetheless. A fascinating read that I would recommend to any of those willing to enter it with an open mind.

About the author

Norah Vincent (1968-2022) was the New York Times bestselling author of the nonfiction books Self-Made Man: One Woman’s Year Disguised as a Man and Voluntary Madness: Lost and Found in the Mental Healthcare System, as well as two works of fiction: Thy Neighbor and Adeline: A Novel of Virginia Woolf. Formerly an op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times, her work also appeared in the New York Times, the New Republic, and the Washington Post, and she contributed regularly to Salon, the Advocate, and the Village Voice. She was a longtime resident of New York City before her passing in 2022.