49. We Real Cool: Breaking Down bell hooks' Book on Black Masculinity

 What a joy this episode was to record! bell hooks is one of our favorite authors and there is still so much we have to learn from her work. In this episode, we talk about one of our favorite books of hers, We Real Cool. We discuss what our favorite chapters are, whether or not we agree with her analysis and so many different aspects of masculinity and Black masculinity in particular. Share this episode with someone you think would appreciate it! Leave a review while you're here too! Real Ballers Read Instagram 0:51 Our podcast with Blacks With Books 2:30 How we stumbled upon We Real Cool 5:13 The Gwendolyn Brooks Poem the Book is Named After 6:43 The main problem facing Black men 8:18 bell hooks’ quote from the preface 10:40 What stood out to Jan most about the book 11:00 Thinking About School and Childhood 14:01 White Patriarchy 16:45 Plantation Patriarchy 18:04 The NFL 19:30 The neuroscience of absolute power 20:49 From Angry Boys to Angry Men 23:10 When Black Boys are quiet and obedient 25:12 How to use anger as a positive 26:30 Sex in Today’s World 28:16 We are born sensual 30:35 You are not alone 32:38 Which male problem is the root of all of them 34:02 What happens when your emotional needs aren’t met… 36:17 Masculinity and earning potential 38:12 Women’s influence on men today 40:33 How We Real Cool Makes Us Better Men 42:54 Being Warm 44:38 Debates about what a man is 46:55 bell hooks’ legacy --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/realballersread/support