Review of The Five Marks of a Man Tactical Guide
The Five Marks of a Man Tactical Guide is a workbook from pastor and author Brian Tome, published by Baker Books in 2023. Tome founded Crossroads Church in Cincinnati and started Man Camp, a primitive-camping weekend that’s put roughly 20,000 men through it. This guide grew out of that work.
The book is built around five traits Tome argues define real manhood: men have a vision, men take a minority position, men are team players, men work, and men are protectors. Each section is short and direct, paired with Scripture and a set of challenges meant to be acted on, not just read.
It’s designed for a small group, and that’s where it works best. Each section ends with discussion questions built for exactly the kind of conversation men rarely start on their own: what am I actually building toward, where am I compromising, who am I accountable to. Read solo it still has value, but the format is clearly written for a room full of guys willing to be honest with each other.
At 160 pages it moves fast. This isn’t a book you sit with for months; it’s meant to be worked through and then lived out. If you’re looking for a guide to run with a men’s group that pushes past small talk into real accountability, this is worth picking up.