"Pascoe's work challenges research on gender, and specifically masculinity, to address sexuality, race, and other significant factors as aspects of the social construction of masculinities."—Gender & Society
"Not only is the information interesting and relevant to our society, but Pascoe’s book is a great representation of ethnographic protocol."—Lambda Alpha Journal
"Usefully calls for a more sophisticated approach to issues surrounding teenage sexuality, masculinity and power than is generally enabled by uncritical applications of a generic notion of homophobia."—Culture, Health, & Sexuality
"The book nicely illustrates how masculinity comprises thoughts and ideas that are collectively defined and asserted, and how salient such issues are for high school students."—126 Spaces for Difference: An Interdisciplinary Journal
"Laced with evocative stories based on ethnographic observations and interviews with high school kids,
Dude, You're a Fag tells gripping stories of life in high school, while helping to extend the cutting edge of scholarly theory on gender and sexualities. C.J. Pascoe has contributed a highly readable and extremely insightful book that will be required reading for students and scholars of youth and the construction of sex and gender in schools."—Michael A. Messner, author of
Taking the Field: Women, Men and Sports"This is a strikingly original study of schoolboys renegotiating class, gender, and ethnicity, along with the labeling as 'fag'. Here homophobia is at work in a path breaking study, which is also a highly readable must-read."—Ken Plummer, University of Essex, and editor of
Sexualities"We know that schools are a central site for the construction of gender identity, but until C. J. Pascoe's careful and compassionate ethnography, we haven't known exactly
how gender conformity is extracted from a slurry of humiliations, fears, and anxieties. Boys will not be boys unless they are made to be, by violence, real or implied. A troubling, thoughtful work."—Michael Kimmel, author of
Manhood in America"Pascoe's thoughtful analysis of the rhetorical and interactional processes that constitute the field of masculinity for young, high school men coming of age is rich and engaging. With fresh insight and careful observation, Pascoe sheds new light on the complex interplay of masculinity, homophobia, sexuality, and the body, compelling us to rethink the formation of gender identities, collective gender practices, and the reproduction of gender inequalities."—Amy L. Best, author of
Prom Night: Youth, Schools and Popular Culture and
Fast Cars, Cool Rides: The Accelerating World of Youth and Their Cars"In this superb ethnography of daily life in a contemporary high school, C. J. Pascoe highlights the sexualized dynamics of youthful masculinity. With vivid detail and perceptive analysis, she examines the 'fag talk' which pervades boys' conversations; the convergence of gender, sexual, and racialized practices in school rituals like the 'Mr. Cougar' contest; and the experiences of girls who display themselves as masculine. The result is a book that breaks fresh ground in masculinity and gender studies-and is a very good read!"—Barrie Thorne, author of
Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School
