If Norah's parents were hoping for a pom- pom queen for a daughter,  they would be sorely disappointed.   She was a 'hard-core tomboy' if there ever was such a thing.  She loved dressing up in her father's clothes, slathering a bit of his VO5 in her hair for good measure, loved swinging through the trees like Tarzan, had an affinity for hiking boots, played the saxophone and enjoyed shaving her brother's GI Joes with her dad's razor.  At the tender age of seven,  she was given the nickname, Ned,  because it seemed to suit her much better.  Becoming a pom-pom gal was simply not in the stars for Norah Vincent.  Not ever.

As a young lesbian, perhaps one experience stood out and gave her the inkling that the life experiences of men were radically different from those of women.  One evening, while hanging out with a drag king, Norah, also in drag,  found further proof her theory was indeed truth.  Many years later, while watching a reality show, an idea that would germinate into her totally immersing and morphing herself into the body and life of a man was sown.  Norah Vincent, a.k.a., Ned, relates her phenomenal journey in her bestselling book,  SELF-MADE MAN: One Woman's Year Disguised As a Man.  

After bulking up and utilizing an amazing theatrical make over she was ready to begin her new life as a man.  Norah's new persona as Ned wasn't wholly carefree or easy as she was soon to find out.  She tentatively joins a bowling league where she is eventually accepted as one of the guys, despite a lousy average.  Later she accepts a fast paced sales job and travels to the strip joints with her newly found friends.  Even incorporating herself into a stint of monastic life is in the cards for her when she gains more confidence in her role as a man.  As a purported metrosexual 'man' she dates and quickly discovers  that "rejection is a staple for guys."  She found that a year and a half as someone/something she is not began to take its toll in several unexpected ways.  
 
This book was very engaging and a sure fire page turner.  One thing that kept creeping into my consciousness was that the duplicity was obviously hurtful to the many participants she unwittingly drew into her web for journalistic purposes.  As Vincent later claimed, "I paid a higher emotional price for my circumstantial deceptions than any of my subjects did."  I would say that assumption was debatable as her journey was an experience, not a lifestyle and she could walk away at liberty.  I did feel the book was a bit gimmicky, but I tell you what, it was still a great read in spite of my occasional reservations.