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Delicate Men: Stories
The stories in Delicate Men explore the socialization and cultural norms men and boys in contemporary society face and what happens when an individual fails to live up to those expectations. And though these are individual lives and stories, a strong, common thread unites them all in their frustration, sometimes even guilt, for not being the men they think they are supposed to be.
“Johnson's tales of contemporary male rituals and relationship politics never fail to dazzle with their clarity, nuance, and peril, coiled and waiting to strike."
—Wilton Barnhardt, New York Times bestselling author of Lookaway, Lookaway.
“Delicate Men takes a hard look at men caught in that land between here and there, men on the move, men on the verge of what comes next. The writing is sure, and the stories ring true with hard-earned wisdom.”
—Lee Martin, Pulitzer Prize Finalist author of The Bright Forever
“What’s so compelling about R Dean Johnson’s Delicate Men is the startling revelation that the anxieties and insecurities of our youth—the ones we are certain we will outgrow—actually haunt us into maturity. Johnson seeks out the pressure points in a range of masculine narratives and shapes a complex portrait of male identity, in which vulnerability begets strength, where desire never gets less awkward, and adults still stand foolishly by playground rules: ‘It’s a boy’s game, but you have to be a man to play it.’ Sensitively rendered, Delicate Men is honest and poignant storytelling.”
—Rigoberto González, author of Autobiography of My Hungers
“These delicate men with their still-soft hearts make their way through machismo and disillusionment, armed with maps of Brugge or nightly tips from valet jobs or white-collar plans for the future, but their delicacy threatens to spoil the fun. R Dean Johnson has given us this sweet gift of good men on the verge of indelicacy. What you’ll remember most—besides the storytelling finesse—is how Johnson renders the delicate or fragile space between innocence and culpability.”
—Jennifer Spiegel, author of Love Slave and The Freak Chronicles
“The men in Delicate Men are delicate men, yes, in the now-fashionable crisis-of-masculinity sense, but they are also vagabonds and romantics and at times profoundly indelicate men, their indelicateness exposed for all the world to see, and we (the world) are better for having seen them through the tender prism of these mischievous stories by R Dean Johnson.”
–Jeff Parker, author of Ovenman and Where Bears Roam the Streets
"R Dean Johnson's tales of contemporary male rituals and relationship politics never fail to dazzle with their clarity, nuance, and peril, coiled and waiting to strike. It's a minefield out there, where love and career await, and Johnson's heroes try to walk safely through it all, armed only with their hard-won insights and good but fallible hearts. A splendid collection by any measure."
—Wilton Barnhardt, New York Times bestselling author of Lookaway, Lookaway.
“Johnson's tales of contemporary male rituals and relationship politics never fail to dazzle with their clarity, nuance, and peril, coiled and waiting to strike."
—Wilton Barnhardt, New York Times bestselling author of Lookaway, Lookaway.
“Delicate Men takes a hard look at men caught in that land between here and there, men on the move, men on the verge of what comes next. The writing is sure, and the stories ring true with hard-earned wisdom.”
—Lee Martin, Pulitzer Prize Finalist author of The Bright Forever
“What’s so compelling about R Dean Johnson’s Delicate Men is the startling revelation that the anxieties and insecurities of our youth—the ones we are certain we will outgrow—actually haunt us into maturity. Johnson seeks out the pressure points in a range of masculine narratives and shapes a complex portrait of male identity, in which vulnerability begets strength, where desire never gets less awkward, and adults still stand foolishly by playground rules: ‘It’s a boy’s game, but you have to be a man to play it.’ Sensitively rendered, Delicate Men is honest and poignant storytelling.”
—Rigoberto González, author of Autobiography of My Hungers
“These delicate men with their still-soft hearts make their way through machismo and disillusionment, armed with maps of Brugge or nightly tips from valet jobs or white-collar plans for the future, but their delicacy threatens to spoil the fun. R Dean Johnson has given us this sweet gift of good men on the verge of indelicacy. What you’ll remember most—besides the storytelling finesse—is how Johnson renders the delicate or fragile space between innocence and culpability.”
—Jennifer Spiegel, author of Love Slave and The Freak Chronicles
“The men in Delicate Men are delicate men, yes, in the now-fashionable crisis-of-masculinity sense, but they are also vagabonds and romantics and at times profoundly indelicate men, their indelicateness exposed for all the world to see, and we (the world) are better for having seen them through the tender prism of these mischievous stories by R Dean Johnson.”
–Jeff Parker, author of Ovenman and Where Bears Roam the Streets
"R Dean Johnson's tales of contemporary male rituals and relationship politics never fail to dazzle with their clarity, nuance, and peril, coiled and waiting to strike. It's a minefield out there, where love and career await, and Johnson's heroes try to walk safely through it all, armed only with their hard-won insights and good but fallible hearts. A splendid collection by any measure."
—Wilton Barnhardt, New York Times bestselling author of Lookaway, Lookaway.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
148 pages, Paperback
First published December 27, 2014
About the author
R. Dean Johnson
4 books35 followersI haven't been R Dean Johnson my whole life. My parents named me Robert Dean Johnson, Jr. They called me Bobby. Everyone did until high school when I graduated to Bob. It felt mature, so I went with it. Who doesn't like a guy named Bob Johnson? It's a fine name up until the point you think you might want to be a writer.
I didn't know I'd want to become a writer. In fact, I started college at Cal Poly Pomona as an engineering major who wrote stories rather than doing his physics homework, graduated as a business major who wrote really plot-heavy stories about people who didn't like their jobs as business people, and left an ad agency job in Irvine, CA after four years to go back to school and learn more about writing stories. Good ones.
It wasn't until a brief stint in the MFA program at the University of Alabama that I discovered my namesake, The Robert Johnson. The guy whose name is synonymous with the Delta Blues. The guy who may or may not have sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads and suddenly started doing things with a guitar unlike anyone else. The guy who died young and mysteriously. How can some kid from Anaheim (yes, home to Disneyland) compete with a guy that dangerous? A guy that cool? Well, I can't. And frankly. publishing anything as Bob Johnson sounds about as real to me as John Doe or Anonymous. So, I have two early publications as Robert Johnson, Jr., and the bulk of my work appears under the name, R. Dean Johnson.
I hold an MA in English from Kansas State University (Wildcats, not Jayhawks). After that brief stint at Alabama, I went on to earn an MFA in Creative Writing from Arizona State University (Sun Devils, not Wildcats).
After teaching stops at Prescott College (AZ), Yavapai College (AZ), Cameron University (OK), and Gotham Writers Workshop (NY), I am now an Associate Professor at Eastern Kentucky University where I teach fiction and creative nonfiction in our low res MFA program, Bluegrass Writers Studio.
All that, but I'm still just Bob. The guys on my softball team call me Bob. My undergrad and graduate students call me Bob. My wife, the writer Julie Hensley, calls me Bob. Even my kids (7 and 3) sometimes call me Bob. Pleased to meet you, I'm Bob.
I didn't know I'd want to become a writer. In fact, I started college at Cal Poly Pomona as an engineering major who wrote stories rather than doing his physics homework, graduated as a business major who wrote really plot-heavy stories about people who didn't like their jobs as business people, and left an ad agency job in Irvine, CA after four years to go back to school and learn more about writing stories. Good ones.
It wasn't until a brief stint in the MFA program at the University of Alabama that I discovered my namesake, The Robert Johnson. The guy whose name is synonymous with the Delta Blues. The guy who may or may not have sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads and suddenly started doing things with a guitar unlike anyone else. The guy who died young and mysteriously. How can some kid from Anaheim (yes, home to Disneyland) compete with a guy that dangerous? A guy that cool? Well, I can't. And frankly. publishing anything as Bob Johnson sounds about as real to me as John Doe or Anonymous. So, I have two early publications as Robert Johnson, Jr., and the bulk of my work appears under the name, R. Dean Johnson.
I hold an MA in English from Kansas State University (Wildcats, not Jayhawks). After that brief stint at Alabama, I went on to earn an MFA in Creative Writing from Arizona State University (Sun Devils, not Wildcats).
After teaching stops at Prescott College (AZ), Yavapai College (AZ), Cameron University (OK), and Gotham Writers Workshop (NY), I am now an Associate Professor at Eastern Kentucky University where I teach fiction and creative nonfiction in our low res MFA program, Bluegrass Writers Studio.
All that, but I'm still just Bob. The guys on my softball team call me Bob. My undergrad and graduate students call me Bob. My wife, the writer Julie Hensley, calls me Bob. Even my kids (7 and 3) sometimes call me Bob. Pleased to meet you, I'm Bob.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 6, 2018
Continuing striking out and, unlike some of the characters in this book, don’t even know baseball enough to make a clever allegory. Latest Netgalley find, a collection of short stories about men from distinctly male perspectives, much acclaimed and fairly underwhelming book. Small enough, start to finish maybe 95 minutes, one sitting read, but nothing really special about it. Best stories are from the middle to the end, excluding the last one. I prefer short stories that are actual stories, just told in a more succinct fashion, these are more like slices of life. No profound insights into male psyche. Perfectly decent way to pass some time, but not overly engaging and just ordinary and quiet enough to be completely forgotten almost immediately. Thanks Netgalley.
March 21, 2018
The author of this book did a great job of writing stories that conveyed the struggle between boyhood and manhood. The insecurities of these men was well-written. I cannot wait to read more work from this author.
March 5, 2018
Delicate Men is a well-written collection of stories that all drive home considerations of men and society. The book flew by for me, and I almost finished it in one sitting. Really nice prose at work here from R. Dean Johnson.
July 6, 2016
My original Delicate Men audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
Commonly, society expects women to be the nurturers bearing the heavy burden of emotional support where as men are the hunters/providers who are exempt from showing much in the way of emotion. They are strong and expected to just know their way to adult hood. Delicate Men uses Zach, Jim, Collin, Garret and others who are in the process of growing into manhood and who are still very fresh and inexperienced.
R. Dean Johnson demonstrates through a series of stories the mine fields of emotion, sensitivity and hardening of one’s heart that men must maneuver. The relationships between male and female, male and male, mentee and mentor are explored and reveal growth, vulnerabilities and doubts. Males having to meet and accept the roles thrust upon them by society; it is a long rocky road full of pitfalls and rituals that in the end make them stronger, smarter … make them men.
Garret is caught between being popular and standing up for his friend Jamie. Jim struggles with his new-found love while backpacking across Europe and fulfilling her meth dependency. Both struggle with relationships, how others will view them and ultimately becoming a man – the steps that follow in their lives. Each story reveals more and more about men and their doubts, vulnerability.
Johnson’s short stories are poignant and telling. Well written and haunting. The feelings, doubts and experiences shared feel true and are written with confidence leaving no room for confusion. The characters and their experiences are clear and communicate what needs to be known in a clear manner. The stories are subtle but highly effective.
Scott Leslie, the narrator, did an excellent job of reading the stories. Talented, he portrayed the uncertainty and subsequent growth of each character through his voice pattern, pitch and emotion. Leslie’s voice adds to the story giving it more depth and range. Soft spoken, concise and yet boyishly charming.
This audiobook was not what I expected at all. It is so much more! This is a book that should be required reading. Raising a son and a grandson, I had no clue the difficulties young men faced with reaching adult hood. I have fallen into the myths society has supported for eons. Young men walk a fine line between being sensitive and being a man who is smart and strong and that people will respect.
The audio production of this book was fine, there was a little bit of white noise in between stories and at least once or twice where sentences were repeated. Otherwise it was well done.
Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.
Commonly, society expects women to be the nurturers bearing the heavy burden of emotional support where as men are the hunters/providers who are exempt from showing much in the way of emotion. They are strong and expected to just know their way to adult hood. Delicate Men uses Zach, Jim, Collin, Garret and others who are in the process of growing into manhood and who are still very fresh and inexperienced.
R. Dean Johnson demonstrates through a series of stories the mine fields of emotion, sensitivity and hardening of one’s heart that men must maneuver. The relationships between male and female, male and male, mentee and mentor are explored and reveal growth, vulnerabilities and doubts. Males having to meet and accept the roles thrust upon them by society; it is a long rocky road full of pitfalls and rituals that in the end make them stronger, smarter … make them men.
Garret is caught between being popular and standing up for his friend Jamie. Jim struggles with his new-found love while backpacking across Europe and fulfilling her meth dependency. Both struggle with relationships, how others will view them and ultimately becoming a man – the steps that follow in their lives. Each story reveals more and more about men and their doubts, vulnerability.
Johnson’s short stories are poignant and telling. Well written and haunting. The feelings, doubts and experiences shared feel true and are written with confidence leaving no room for confusion. The characters and their experiences are clear and communicate what needs to be known in a clear manner. The stories are subtle but highly effective.
Scott Leslie, the narrator, did an excellent job of reading the stories. Talented, he portrayed the uncertainty and subsequent growth of each character through his voice pattern, pitch and emotion. Leslie’s voice adds to the story giving it more depth and range. Soft spoken, concise and yet boyishly charming.
This audiobook was not what I expected at all. It is so much more! This is a book that should be required reading. Raising a son and a grandson, I had no clue the difficulties young men faced with reaching adult hood. I have fallen into the myths society has supported for eons. Young men walk a fine line between being sensitive and being a man who is smart and strong and that people will respect.
The audio production of this book was fine, there was a little bit of white noise in between stories and at least once or twice where sentences were repeated. Otherwise it was well done.
Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.
September 28, 2020
These stories, told with deft storytelling assuredness, are peopled with the delicate, the fragile, and the foolish. There's wisdom and heart and humanity here and we, the reader, are better for having been drawn into them. And while all the stories are splendid, "Captain of the Drive" might just be a damn near perfect short story.
March 10, 2015
It is very difficult to write a review of a collection from a man I look up to as a mentor of the craft of writing, so I will simply say this: Johnson occupies a permanent home on my shelf next to Carver and Hemingway, all masters of the psyche of the Average Joe.
March 3, 2015
I was sent a galley of Delicate Men, as I had the privilege to publish "Cards for All Occasions," which is included in this collection.
The stories here find male characters (not only men, but "delicate" adolescents) finding there way through maturity and discovering their own sense of masculinity. Their exploits take place at home, in bars, on the ball field, in the workplace, and more. The stories explore the characters' wills and insecurities and sexuality as they navigate through relationships, careers, and their expectations of themselves and their futures.
The stories which bookend the collection take place in Europe and include young American men abroad who enjoy hostel camaraderie and dalliances and glimpses into worlds past. They are emblematic of the collection as a whole: narratives that showcase moments in characters' lives that shape who they are and who they will become.
The stories here find male characters (not only men, but "delicate" adolescents) finding there way through maturity and discovering their own sense of masculinity. Their exploits take place at home, in bars, on the ball field, in the workplace, and more. The stories explore the characters' wills and insecurities and sexuality as they navigate through relationships, careers, and their expectations of themselves and their futures.
The stories which bookend the collection take place in Europe and include young American men abroad who enjoy hostel camaraderie and dalliances and glimpses into worlds past. They are emblematic of the collection as a whole: narratives that showcase moments in characters' lives that shape who they are and who they will become.
May 7, 2017
i love it when a book surprises me. excellent narration, succinct storytelling. well done.
June 11, 2018
Short story collections are never easy to sum up in a review because they have varying degrees of interest for each reader, and this one is no different. Delicate Men follows stories of men who are trying to do what they think they are supposed to do because of who they are, where they are or simply because they are men. Almost none of these men live up the standards they feel are imposed upon them.
What was interesting to me about this collection isn't that the stories all follow a similar theme, but that the main characters seem so much alike that it almost seemed like you were reading about the same guy screwing up his own life over and over again. There was little distinction between the main characters, so it wasn't as varied in terms of character growth as it could have been.
*Book provided by NetGalley
What was interesting to me about this collection isn't that the stories all follow a similar theme, but that the main characters seem so much alike that it almost seemed like you were reading about the same guy screwing up his own life over and over again. There was little distinction between the main characters, so it wasn't as varied in terms of character growth as it could have been.
*Book provided by NetGalley
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews