Men Before 10 A.M.

I bought this book looking for more of the wisdom I had found in other Pam Houston novels, accompanied with pictures. Instead, I found a wonderfully pretty book of black and white photos of men, with a little narritive to accompany them. The men in these pictures are mostly people who I haven't heard of: not-yet-famous actors, designers, etc. The few "famous" men are indeed charming in their morning faces. The photographs are well done and very candid. However...I wanted words. I wanted text. In this book I enjoyed very much what amounted to a short story by Houston and the dialogue between Houston and Vial. I also enjoyed the asides by Vial in describing the situations in which she phographed some of the men. It was typical Houston storytelling and candid thoughts by Vial. In short, this pictorial is a very good coffee table book. It is beautiful. However, if you are searching for another "Cowboys Are My Weakness" you should look to something by Melissa Banks or another Houston novel. The pictures are very good, but how long can you observe another disheveled man?

These are wonderful pictures taken by a French female photographer of famous men before 10 am in the morning. These are not just actors but men famous for other reasons as well. She doesn't date the pictures and I believe some of them are from quite a few years back but that is not a detraction. Some of the men are wide awake and already working but many are not. They are all informal, to say the least! I don't like the companion book, Women Before Ten A.M., nearly as well but a man might prefer that one. The binding on this large paperback hasn't held up well but, even knowing that, I would still get it for the contents.

I have never read a book cover to cover, ever. And, while this isn't a book book, having anything that kept my attention this long is a great accomplishment. The photos are great, especially the non-celebs, since I prefer real people, and the words Pam Houston writes about men are the most positive, un-self-serving words I have yet to read, words that the women who joined her for an extended weekend in the Rocky's weren't saying to be liked, or understood. The images, especially on "Why We Still Love Men" of women just watching men do what we do, and recognize our simple joy in doing what we do, was much appreciated by this man. Most author's seem to think there's something wrong with all men, something inherently broken. And, while I'm not perfect, I don't need them telling me the kind of mask I should wear so I can fit neatly into their perception of a man. I'll change what I want, when I want, if I want and my sense is that these women can see through to the real essence of a man not only before 10 a.m., but all day long. Thank-you Pam for letting me in on this secret conversation of women who really appreciate men. It's opened my heart.

A beautiful collection of photo essays capturing the essence of life lived under unscrupulous eyes. The photographs secure reality for the men most awed by adoring followers. Magnificent for its truth, brilliant for its portrayal.

With coffee cups in hand, eyes half-open, tousled uncombed hair and razor stubbled faces, the men in writer Pam Houston and photographer Veronique Vial's new coffee table book, Men Before 10 a.m., were obviously photographed in their natural morning attire and attitude. In the introduction, Houston, a best-selling autor and licensed river guide, describes her first conversation with the internationally renowned photographer Vial about the book, and men in general. "I have an idea," Vial says to Houston, "that men put their masks on by 10 o'clock in the morning, so if you want to capture what's inside a man, you have to catch him when he first wakes up." With that idea in mind, Vial went about photographing 100 men during their morning rituals -- even rousing a few of them from bed with her camera. She asked Pam Houston to write the complementary narrative to her intimate photos, because she felt Houston shared her love of men. Fans of Houston's memorable first book, Cowboys Are My Weakness, might be disappointed at first that Men Before 10 a.m. is a book of photographs with narrative essays -- instead of more funny and touching stories about relationships and adventures with strong silent types. But, because it's the first coffee table book that I've actually read, I can tell you it's filled with Houston's wry and witty observations about men and love, and won't disappoint. Vial's subjects are mostly famous actors, film directors, photographers, artists, and musicians. Houston's essays mirror the mood of the candid photos perfectly. With neither woman uttering a harsh word about any of the men photographed or mentioned, their blind adoration of the male population come through crystal clear.