''Man Alive: A True Story of Violence, Forgiveness and Becoming a Man'' is a nonfiction book by Thomas Page McBee, published September 8, 2014, by

City Lights Publishers City Lights is an independent bookstore-publisher combination in San Francisco, California, that specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics. It also houses the nonprofit City Lights Foundation, which publishes selected ti ...

. The book centres on the question "What does it really mean to be a man?" as McBee shares his negative experiences with masculinity, including childhood abuse and a mugging, both perpetrated by men. In 2014, the book won a

Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction The Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Literature is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, that awards books with transgender content. Awards are granted based on literary merit and transgender content, and the ...

Reception

''Man Alive'' received starred reviews from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

,'' ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'',

Lambda Literary Foundation The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

, and ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

''. ''Publishers Weekly'' noted, "McBee’s lyrical, achingly honest exploration of loss and maturation offers a hopeful antidote to more toxic forms of masculinity." ''Kirkus'' called the book "quite a story, masterfully rendered." ''Publishers Weekly'',

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, and ''Kirkus'' named ''Man Alive'' one of the best nonfiction books of 2014. ''

Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

'' included it in their list of the 10 best transgender nonfiction books of the year.

References

Lambda Literary Award-winning works 2014 non-fiction books 2010s LGBT literature Transgender non-fiction books LGBT literature in the United States City Lights Publishers books {{LGBT-book-stub