By what measure are men “men” anymore? How do they express their masculinity in an age when rites of passage have abandoned them, when they have put down their swords and hunting bows? Instead, they saddle up their SUVs and trucks seemingly named for imaginary steeds: Silverado, Avalanche, Blazer.

Several recent books have plumbed these testosterone-rich depths. In “How to Cook Like a Man,” Daniel Duane offers one yardstick of manhood. In “Man Up: Cracking the Code of Modern Manhood,” actor Carlos Andres Gomez breaks the news that he need not fight all the time, treat women as objects, and shut down his emotional self. Not to mention throngs of reality TV shows concerning man caves, dirty jobs, and most dangerous catches.