Rafael L. Ramirez presents an insightful examination of Puerto Rican culture and the ways in which Puerto Rican masculinity is constructed.

What It Means to Be a Man begins with a discussion of machismo set in the context of the social construction of masculinity. Ramirez presents his interpretation of what it means to be a Puerto Rican man, discussing the attributes and demands of masculinity, and pointing out the ways in which strength, competition, and sexuality are joined with power and pleasure. He examines the erotic relationships between men as part of the expressions of...