Amneus deftly describes in this book how thefeminist/liberal/leftist attack on the notorious and now officiallydiscredited "patriarchy" is in fact an attack on civilization itself, since the former was the prerequisite for the latter. He documents how the feminist wish for the rights of the more primitive matriarchy along with the benefits of civilization, which only patriarchy can produce and provide, is wanting to "have your cake and eat it too", of wanting to have it both ways, that the two are incompatible. That, and that the effects on men are uniformly negative, which is why men should oppose these trends. And while many claim we're still under a patriarchal system, Amneus shows that we're actually a long way towards going back to the matriarchal stone age. Not only that, but many applaud this as if it were something progressive. Even the "family values" and "compassionate conservativism" crowds don't get it. Amneus shows how deluded these folk are, pointing to the ghetto, Haiti, and the indian reservation for what actually ensues when women are in control. On the one hand, the material in this book is something we already kind of know; on the other hand, reading the book reminds one of how much we've forgotten in the last generation or two as other assumptions and beliefs have become the unexamined norm and certain ideas have become verbotten. That's what makes the book so refreshing and eye-opening, since it's definitely not a re-tread of standard 50's traditionalism. It urges men to view their work as their bodies in "Our Paychecks, Ourselves", where he implores men to refuse to pay child support for the male-only "privilege" of having their families destroyed and their children taken from them. Further radical ideas include a thorough debunking of conservative favorite George Gilder's sentimental views about the civilizing effects of women, and the reasons why single men should avoid educated, independent, "career" women like the plague. Some would no doubt consider this book to be a misogynistic diatribe, such is the strength of its point of view, except that in promoting civilization over primitivism Amneus is hoping to show how patriarchal systems benefit everyone, not just the evil, brutish, straw-men erected by feminism or the incompetent bozos of the TV sitcom (which are actually more common under matriarchy). Much of the material in the book is, in fact, taken from feminist writings, only it's turned around to show what its real implications are once men and children are included in the consideration. The book says so many things that aren't even on the radar screen of others in the murky public debate over gender roles and the relationship between the sexes, divorce and custody, the rise in adolescent gangs and crime, the "breakdown of the family", etc., that anyone reading it is certain to feel as if the author is from another planet. This is perhaps the best evidence that we're no longer living under some oppressive patriarchal conspiracy, as the common propaganda would have us believe. This all doesn't imply Amneus comes across as some wacky lunatic throwback, only that he provides a unique and clear perspective sadly lacking today anywhere on the left or right. In fact, the book is concise and well-documented scholarship, not a creation of some ranting Archie Bunker or Andrew Dice Clay. It's also available in its entirety on-line..., though after reading it you'll be sure to want to order several copies - either to give to friends or to burn, depending on your persuasion. Read this book only if you're ready to have your thinking seriously re-aligned, especially if you're a male confused by the many conflicting messages coming from the mostly female dominated debate of the last decades.