Swole

Praise

“A memoir, history, and critical essay in one, sure to captivate anyone who’s ever pumped—or dreamed of pumping—iron.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Brodeur maintains a sharp focus on the way Western culture’s perceived mind-body divide has shaped ideas about masculinity . . . Punchy, entertaining, and perceptive, this delivers.”
—Publishers Weekly

“[A] semiotic history that doubles as an autobiography in lifting . . . Brodeur writes witty, allusive prose about an enthusiasm not today considered highbrow.”
—Washington Post

“Brodeur’s glorious, insightful, and cackle-out-loud hilarious book is destined to be a classic.”
—Kevin Alexander, author of Burn the Ice

“A timely, unprecedented survey of an unexpected, often overlooked figure in body politics: the meathead. . . . Necessary . . . Crucial . . . For anyone engaged in the Sisyphean pursuit of muscle and bulk—and to anyone interested in engaging with a critical examination of masculinity—Swole is an invitation to broaden our view on what it means to want to get big.”
—Colin Self, artist and composer

“Hilarious, ribald, deeply researched, and gay as hell! I loved every page and was fascinated by the world Brodeur takes the reader into, the way he unfolds the origami of masculinity, getting ripped, homoerotics and heteronormativity, and pop culture. Buy a copy for a friend, too, because you are going to need to have someone to screen-shot and discuss with.”
—Jessica Hopper, author of The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic

“In Michael Brodeur’s monumental first book, Swole, he reminds us that the Greek root of gymnasium is ‘naked’ by undressing the self to unveil the roots of muscle, memory, and history. Expertly researched, hilariously rendered, and deeply felt, this book uses the body as a site of inquiry to ask big questions about gender, power, and desire. Brodeur asks, ‘In building our bodies, what else are we constructing?’ and inside that question he reveals everything.”
—Sam Sax, author of Madness

“Swole is a probing, poignant, and frequently hilarious investigation of the meaning of muscle and the evolution of twenty-first-century masculinity. A stunning debut by one of America’s most sharp-witted and sharp-elbowed cultural critics.”
—Joe Keohane, coauthor of The Lemon