US Guys (2007)

The New York Times journalist Charlie LeDuff goes deeper and dirtier in US Guys, his new collection of essays about the ''twisted mind of the American man.'' LeDuff immerses himself in an Oakland fight club, a sub-minor football league in Amarillo, Tex., and a traveling circus in Coos Bay, Ore. Testosterone bangs out of these pages; at times, the writing might have benefited from a cool, deep breath. Still, LeDuff's a fearless, clear-eyed companion into parts of America that rarely see print. When he's on, his sentences are unbeatable. On Oklahoma City: ''The landscape is so flat and barren you could probably watch your dog run away all day long.'' What a trip. A-