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782 reviews by:
cassianlamb
Graphic: Ableism, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Homophobia, Transphobia, Outing, Dysphoria
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
The first thing I have to say, is read the content warnings at the beginning of the book. Drews is serious about these. I do believe they missed a few as well, so if you need content warnings please check below. It's possible this isn't a full list, and I am just one person, so it is possible what I consider to be a content warning would not be considered such by someone else.
That being said, I did enjoy this book. It was a little predictable, but not in the way you'd expect. While I had an idea as to the final outcome and answer to the mystery, I had no idea how it would come about. Quite frankly this book is deeply disturbing sometimes but even so I needed to know what would come next.
If you liked CG Drews's other book "Don't Let the Forest In," or enjoy Andrew Joseph White's books and want something that is somehow more gruesome than his YA books, this is the book for you.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Toxic relationship, Car accident
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization
Minor: Sexual content, Abortion
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death of parent
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Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Slavery, Vomit, Cannibalism, Alcohol, War
Minor: Misogyny, Death of parent
Graphic: Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident
Minor: Child death, Genocide, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Transphobia, Pregnancy
I think the premise of this book is a good one. The author talks about how he learned healthy masculinity and strives to teach that path to others. He acknowledges there is no singular way to be a man, that it looks different for all of us.
Unfortunately, the execution of his idea leaves a bit to be desired. A lot of this book is repetitive, teaching the same lesson a different way over and over again. While the book is over 200 pages if I remember right, it could probably be half that and still accomplish what Kearns set out to do. Furthermore, while his solutions make sense, his way of reaching them feels a lot like "just stop worrying." That's a lot easier to say than do, and could make the journey to being a better man harder than suggested.
Finally, while I again think the topic of this book is important, I do not think it will reach its target audience. I picked this book up as a trans man myself, and nearly everything discussed in it is something I've discussed with my boyfriend. Those looking for healthy masculinity likely already are aware of most of what's discussed in this book, while those who need it will probably never pick it up.
Overall, it's a good book, but it's not well executed.
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Religious bigotry
