In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man: A Memoir

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE - From two-time National Magazine Award winner Tom Junod, a searching, brilliantly stylized memoir about a charismatic, philandering father who tried to mold his son in his image, the many secrets he hid, the son's obsessive quest to uncover them, and ultimately, the true meaning of manhood "Affecting. . . . Moves like a song, drawing you in with its melody before delivering an emotional wallop." -- The New York Times Big Lou Junod dominated every room he entered. He worshipped the sun and the sea, his own bronzed body, Frank Sinatra, and beautiful women. He was a successful traveling handbag salesman who carried himself like a celebrity. He'd return from the road with stories of going to nightclubs where the stars--Ava Gardner, maybe Liz Taylor--"couldn't keep their eyes off . . . your father ." He had countless affairs and didn't do much to hide them. Lou could be cruel to Fran, his wife of fifty-nine years, but he loved his youngest son. Tom was a skin-and-bones, nervous boy, devoted to his mother, but Lou sought to turn him into a version of himself. He showered him with advice about how to dress ("A turtleneck is the most…