'How to find the right words to frame this horror? How to understand why men do what they do to women? How to comprehend this malign force that seems to seep from the male psyche and infect us all? . . . That is the central hope, the appeal, embedded in this book: that other men might join me in this investigation and ruthless self-interrogation-and in doing so, become part of the change that is so urgently required.'
David Leser
In February 2018, the Good Weekend cover story by David Leser, Women, men and the whole damn thing, had an extraordinary response. David received hundreds of personal messages from readers around the world - both women and men - urging him to expand his story. Here is that book: a brilliant, impassioned, unflinching account of the firestorm of #MeToo, how we got there and where we must now go.
In this essential and incisive investigation, Leser unearths the roots of misogyny, its inextricable links to the patriarchy, and how history brought us to the #MeToo movement and the wave of incandescent female rage that is sweeping the world. Crucially, he also interrogates his own psyche, privilege and culpability as he bears witness to the 'collective wound of the world' and asks how we can move towards healing and profound and permanent change.
About the Author
David Leser is an Australian journalist, author and public interviewer. A former Middle East and North American correspondent he has been a journalist for 40 years and become widely known in Australia for his in-depth profiles and stories on social and political issues.
He has interviewed everyone from Meryl Streep, Germaine Greer and Ayaan Hirsi Ali to Gina Rinehart, Alan Jones and the Dalai Lama. David is the recipient of numerous awards for his journalism and his memoir To Begin To Know: Walking in the Shadows of my Father, was shortlisted for the National Biography Award in 2015.
Industry Reviews
"'David Leser has for years been one of Australia's finest long-form journalists, and here he takes on one of the most important subjects of our time. What begins as an examination of the global #MeToo movement turns into a poignant, sometimes personal and often horrifying deep dive into past and present masculinity and ""the mess of human relations"" that's left in its wake.' - MATTHEW CONDON, author of Three Crooked Kings
'Brilliantly argued, fiercely lucid, there won't be a more vital book this decade. Nor one to be more widely read, argued with, felt - and comprehended. Leser captures our need to wake up finally to the most ancient harming of all: men's conditioned and often dangerously aggressive attitudes towards women-and themselves.' - STEPHANIE DOWRICK, author of Intimacy and Solitude
'David isn't an ideologue finding evidence to support a conclusion he's already arrived at. As ever he's a fearless searcher after the truth in a complex situation. His final verdict is unequivocal. #MeToo is a necessary clarion call that male/female relationships need urgent restructuring, not just for the good of women, but to benefit us all.' - DAVID WILLIAMSON, playwright
'This book is a triumph of storytelling, painstaking research, personal vulnerability and nuance. As I pored over every page I variously felt enraged, sorrowful, entertained, respectful and, at the last, hopeful.' - AUDETTE EXEL, former Telstra NSW Business Woman of the Year
'Curiosity, courage and candour are David Leser's great strengths as a journalist. Here, he sets out to understand the explosion of female fury that is the #MeToo movement and ends up asking himself some tough questions.' - JANE CADZOW, journalist
'An important read for anybody interested in a real dialogue and a real engagement on how to move forward in a #MeToo era. The fact that it is written by a man who is aware of his privileges and led by his curiosity for a genuine understanding makes it all the more important.' - ZAINAB SALBI, author of Between Two Worlds
'David Leser has written the book a man needed to write. He has a deep ethical understanding of discrimination against women. He cares about that injustice. But he also cares about how men themselves can be part of the solution.' - PROFESSOR CATHARINE LUMBY
'A masterfully nuanced and deeply insightful look at how we arrived - and where to from here - in this post-#MeToo world.' - LISA WILKINSON, journalist
'A landmark achievement that demonstrates the power of men being constructively engaged in helping break down the barriers to equality.' - ELIZABETH BRODERICK, former Sex Discrimination Commissioner "
