This slim text is unbelievably rich. I read it in just a few days but it really deserves to be lingered over- I have a library copy that I can't return because of the Covid-virus closed library system, so I might wait a few weeks and just read it again. McBee is a trans man, a survivor of childhood sexual assault and a journalist who became interested in the question of why men fight. He pitched a story on the topic to Quartz magazine, and then spent the next five months training for a charity boxing match in Madison Square Garden to investigate the subject. This book traces that five month journey, and also dips into other glimpses of his life- the death of his mother; meeting his future wife; the birth of his brother's first child; encountering his abuser as an adult. McBee finds the world of charity boxers a space of camaraderie and tenderness, where men face fears and joyfully celebrate violence. He weaves many quotes and pieces of research throughout the text, studies of marriage, gender, race, boyhood, homophobia, identity, masculinity, and male friendships.