What two things do most mass shooters, terrorists, or violent extremists have in common? Most of us know the first: they are almost always men or boys. But the second? They are almost always virulent misogynists, homophobes, or transphobes鈥攅ven if they are also motivated by racism, antisemitism, or xenophobia. The antigovernment militiamen charged with plotting to kidnap and execute Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer used language saturated with misogyny, with one telling an FBI informant, 鈥淛ust grab the bitch.鈥� The men who killed scores at Virginia Tech, the Pulse nightclub, and a Maryland newsroom all had prior reports of stalking, domestic violence, or harassment of women. And in dozens of other incidents鈥攆rom North America to Norway to New Zealand鈥攁n increasing number of misogynist incel (involuntary celibate) and male supremacist attackers have explicitly targeted and killed women, blaming feminism or sexual frustration with women as motivation for their attacks.
Yet, despite all evidence, the bright red thread of misogyny running through these attacks is barely acknowledged by the media or even experts鈥攁nd this failing leaves us powerless to stop the violence. In Man Up, Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a leading expert on extremism, addresses this crucial oversight head-on, revealing how an epidemic of misogyny鈥攂oth online and off鈥攁nd a patriarchal backlash are driving an exponential rise in mass and far-right violence. She also offers essential strategies that all of us鈥攊ncluding parents, teachers, and counselors鈥攃an use to fight the rising tide of violence, beginning with recognizing the misogyny that pervades our everyday lives.
"We can’t recommend it [Man-Up] highly enough."鈥擬att Kelly and Matt d'Ancona, The Two Matts
"It’s probably the most important book that I’ve read in ten years."鈥擡mma Kennedy, The Bunker
"A compelling case for treating misogyny as a security concern and offers a useful framework for integrating gender into violence prevention efforts."鈥擲usan Szmania, Journal of Peace Research
"Clear-eyed and candid, Man Up is an insightful and essential reckoning with the misogyny fueling the fire of far-right violence"鈥擪arla Strand, Ms. Magazine
"Man Up is a bracing, vital intervention."鈥擱oe McDermott, The聽Irish Times聽
鈥淲omen-hating is a central feature of far-right culture. Miller-Idriss guides us on how this happened and what it means for how gender operates today.鈥�鈥擪athleen M. Blee, coauthor of Out of Hiding: Extremist White Supremacy and How It Can Be Stopped
鈥�Man Up helps us understand the explicit connections between misogyny, homophobia, and violence. Incredibly compelling.鈥�鈥擟. J. Pascoe, author of Nice Is Not Enough: Inequality and the Limits of Kindness at American High
鈥泪苍 Man Up, Cynthia Miller-Idriss provides a luminous and disturbing account of the misogyny at the heart of far-right movements. By connecting everyday sexism to spectacular gender-based violence, she convincingly argues that our collective failure to address seemingly mundane forms of gendered discrimination allows it to fester and eventually explode. This book comes at exactly the right time.鈥�鈥擵ictor Ray, author of On Critical Race Theory: Why It Matters and Why You Should Care
鈥淎 deeply researched, thoughtful book on a topic that we must grapple with fully: the manosphere, in all its particulars, its threats, and its false promises to boys and men. Every parent, teacher, and school administrator should read it. This book is a flare in the darkness.鈥�鈥擱achel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises and Women We Buried, Women We Burned
鈥�Man Up is a highly original and engrossing exploration of the symbiosis between misogyny, gendered violence, and political extremism. Parents and government officials alike will find Cynthia Miller-Idriss鈥檚 in-depth research, compelling analysis, and strong recommendations both timely and insightful.鈥�鈥擝ruce Hoffman, coauthor of God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America
鈥�Man Up is a crucial addition to our framework of understanding misogyny, the lifeblood of hate-fueled violence, as a generational phenomenon that is quickly becoming a national emergency. Miller-Idriss is, through her forward-thinking approach toward social health, charting a new discipline that could not be more urgent.鈥�鈥擱yan Greer, president of Bedrock, a nonprofit that works to prevent hate-fueled violence in America
鈥泪苍 Man Up, Cynthia Miller-Idriss offers a powerful reckoning with the gendered foundations of rising violent extremism. Drawing on case studies, data, and firsthand experiences, she shows how misogyny is a central force driving radicalization, hate, and political violence. With urgency and precision, Miller-Idriss argues that we cannot understand or interrupt extremism without grappling with the patriarchal systems and cultural norms that sustain it.鈥�鈥擳ristan Bridges, University of California, Santa Barbara
鈥淔or too long, discussions of violence鈥攚hether extreme and ideological or interpersonal and intimate鈥攈ave omitted gender. Miller-Idriss鈥檚 substantial powers of analysis and deep cross-cultural knowledge on this subject are overdue and deeply needed.鈥�鈥擜bigail Disney, Emmy Award鈥搘inning documentary filmmaker and cofounder of the nonprofit Peace is Loud
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