Stiffed: the Betrayal of Modern Man, by Susan Faludi (Vintage, £8.99 in UK)

Men are victims of cultural forces - like 1950s housewives, men in late 20th-century America are powerless, lacking a fulfilling role, respect and freedom, argues feminist Susan Faludi, author of Backlash. The media-labelled "masculinity crisis" as expressed by increased violence, depression and suicide, is not caused by something men are doing, concludes Faludi, after six years of interviewing males, from Christian Promise Keepers to porn actors, football fans to war veterans. In this fascinating insight into what men really think - and how important fathers really are - she argues that the key question is not why men oppose women's equality, but why men don't liberate themselves from their culturally imposed bondage.