And Now We Shall Do Manly Things

Craig Heimbuch was in his early thirties when he received a gift from his father - a 12-gauge Winchester over-under shotgun. Craig had never even thought of owning a gun, but the gift got him thinking; the men in his Midwestern family were enthusiastic hunters, and he, the black sheep so to speak, was possibly the only one never to have taken an animal. For most of his life, he was quite comfortable with that, but now that he had a shotgun, Craig figured he may as well try it out and in so doing, both explore the meaning of manhood and get closer to his Midwestern dad. So Craig committed to overcoming his domesticated suburban lifestyle by diving headfirst into hunting culture for a year, with the ambition of [successfully] participating in the annual Heimbuch family pheasant hunt. He would learn what putting food on the table used to entail, what it means to be a man in America, and, perhaps most importantly, better understand his family legacy. In the tradition of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" and A.J. Jacobs's "The Know-It-All", Heimbuch's "And Now We Shall Do Manly Things" takes a wry look at some of our most deeply-cherished cultural beliefs and encourages men to reassess their definitions of manhood. During his journey he discovers it is possible to be an active father, loving spouse, and hunter, without being mistaken for a gun-toting lunatic.