Men in Groups

WhenMen in Groups was first published in l969, the New York Times daily critic titled his review The Disturbing Rediscovery of the Obvious. What was so obvious was male bonding, a phrase that entered the language. The links between males in groups Tiger describes extend through many other primate species, through our evolution as hunters/gatherers, and cross-culturally. Male bonding characterizes human groups as varied as the Vatican Council, the New York Yankees, the Elks and Masons, and the secret societies of Sierra Leone and Kenya. The power of Tiger’s book is its identification of the powerful links between men and the impact of females and families on essentially male groups.