Georgia Author Explores Toxic Masculinity In Memoir, 'The Man They Wanted Me To Be'

When Jared Yates Sexton ’s grandma researched their family tree, she discovered a long line of “scofflaws, debtors, drunkards and out-and-out criminals.” The working class men he grew up with in Linton, Indiana, could never quite get ahead, especially as industrial jobs dried up. But at home, their power was absolute. Often maintained by violence, intimidation and a rigid masculinity that was toxic to their families, communities and selves.