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Benny Goodman, a pivotal figure in the Swing era, transformed American popular music with his concerts and recordings, bringing jazz into mainstream culture. His journey from a Chicago ghetto to high society highlights his complex character and influential role as a social groundbreaker with racially integrated bands. The book delves into the contrasts of Goodman's public charm and private struggles, revealing his demanding nature and the stories that shaped his legacy as a unique and American musical icon.

Recollections by male artists, writers, and thinkers present images of what it means to be a man, and include George Bernard Shaw's commentary on his mother, Charles Mingus's explicit lesson in sex education, Aldous Huxley's description of his wife's death, and more. Reissue.