“To any young men out there who aren’t too far gone,” writes Isaac Fitzgerald, “I say you’re not done becoming yourself.” In Dirtbag, Massachusetts, Fitzgerald traces his life story from birth to a happy but poor early childhood in urban Boston to a more violent and chaotic later childhood in the countryside. Readers watch him grow through anger and angst—in rural Massachusetts, San Francisco, New York City, and Burma—to reckon with the toxic masculinity that was instilled in him. This memoir-in-essays digs to the core of American manhood with both raunch and sincerity. —Laura Zornosa
Buy Now: Dirtbag, Massachusetts on Bookshop | Amazon
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Donald Trump Was Just Indicted. Here's What to Know About the Charges and the Case
- What Could Happen Next for Donald Trump
- Trump's Indictment Drama Showcased His Rivals' Weakness
- Inside Ukraine's Push to Try Putin For War Crimes
- Bad Bunny's Next Move
- Elon Musk Signs Open Letter Urging AI Labs to Pump the Brakes
- Eliezer Yudkowsky: Pausing AI Developments Isn't Enough. We Need to Shut it All Down
- 'How Is This Still Happening?' A Survivor Questions America's Gun Violence Problem
- Cheryl Strayed Will Always Be Here for You
- Who Should Be on the 2023 TIME100? Vote Now