Boys Will Be Human: A Get-Real Gut-Check Guide to Becoming the Strongest, Kindest, Bravest Person You Can Be

Price: $10.99
(as of Feb 26,2023 13:54:30 UTC – Details)

From the Publisher

Boys Will Be Human // Amazon Q&A

1. Tell us about Boys Will Be Human. It’s a guidebook that will help boys ages 11 and up find the courage and confidence to embrace and express their feelings. For so long, boys have been taught that displaying our emotions is showing weakness and being “strong” means being an Alpha male. I know from experience these ideas can lead to so much anxiety and shame. Which is why this book talks openly and honestly about our feelings about everything from body image and sex to popularity and privilege. I also think it’s a great read for parents or teachers who want to understand what boys are going through and a jumping off point for tricky conversations about sensitive subjects.

2. Your first book, Man Enough, is for adults. What made you want to write a book for younger readers? While I love that Man Enough has started a long overdue discussion about masculinity in our culture, I kept thinking about how young boys could benefit if we talked about it before the idea of what it means to be man gets cemented in our minds and behavior. In fact, 11-year-old me really needed this book. I would have felt a lot less alone if I’d had it!

3. You talk about undefining masculinity instead of redefining it. What does that mean to you? Redefining masculinity would just be creating a new box that eventually we will need to break out of. What we need is the freedom to be whoever we think we are meant to be, not who others think we should be. Masculinity has become kind of a performative social contract. Like, I can only be masculine if everyone else agrees that I am masculine. The world would be a much kinder and inclusive place if anyone who identifies as a man were allowed to feel seen and be accepted for who they are.

4. How does the process of writing a book compare to acting in a television show or directing a movie? The biggest way they are similar is that the creative process for each of them requires deep introspection. For my books, I had to face and understand the parts of me that I’m ashamed of and share them with others in the hopes that they’d feel less alone. Another thing that’s similar is that after I write a book or make a movie, they don’t belong to me anymore—they belong to the audience.

5. Do you have a favorite part of the book? There are a lot of fun and thought-provoking exercises in Boys Will Be Human. My favorite is French fries and consent!

6. What do you hope readers take away from the book? When a boy reads this, I want him to realize he is enough as he is. And that above all, he is human and it’s okay to make mistakes.

7. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice from the book, what would it be? Don’t worry about what others think. And don’t take yourself or life too seriously– have a little fun!