Books For MRAs

January 28, 2026, at home

Today, the fourth Wednesday in January, is "Library Shelfie Day." On this day, book lovers share selfies of themselves in front of library shelves and in front of shelves of their personal book collections. I have a substantial book collection here at home and in our storage unit, so I decided to show you a photo of a bunch of books that were near and dear to my heart in the 1990s, and they still are. I still have them here at home.

In the early 1990s, the Men's Rights Movement that was powerful in the 1960s and 1970s experienced the start of a resurgence. From 1991 to 1998, I was a reporter, writer, editor, and researcher for various business publications based in New York City. I was in my 30s, so I was still rather idealistic.

It was during this time when my interest in the Men's Rights Movement was at its peak, and "reclaiming the male spirit," as was the catchphrase during that time, was foremost in my mind and in my actions. I was even a dues-paying, card-carrying member of the National Organization for Men.

I filled my brain with the wisdom and the logic of several great writers. Here are five books, plus a book of quotations, that I read during that time and that I still recommend to every Men's Rights Activist (MRA) who is still fighting the good fight. While I still identify myself as an MRA, I have mellowed over the decades.

Here are my copies of those books. They are more about male empowerment than men's rights. My interest is still strong, so my tentative plan is to reread at least a few of these books. They are:

*Celebrating The Male Mysteries (R.J. Stewart)
*Iron John: A Book About Men (Robert Bly)
*Mucho Macho: A Book of Manly Quotations
*Fire In The Belly: On Being A Man (Sam Keen)
*Knights Without Armor: A Practical Guide for Men in Quest of Masculine Soul (Aaron R. Kipnis)
*The Warrior's Journey Home: Healing Men, Healing The Planet (Jed Diamond)