How Not To Be a Boy
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
RULES FOR BEING A MAN
Don't Cry; Love Sport; Play Rough; Drink Beer; Don't Talk About Feelings
But Robert Webb has been wondering for some time now: are those rules actually any use? To anyone?
Looking back over his life, from schoolboy crushes (on girls and boys) to discovering the power of making people laugh (in the Cambridge Footlights with David Mitchell), and from losing his beloved mother to becoming a husband and father, Robert Webb considers the absurd expectations boys and men have thrust upon them at every stage of life.
Hilarious and heartbreaking, How Not To Be a Boy explores the relationships that made Robert who he is as a man, the lessons we learn as sons and daughters, and the understanding that sometimes you aren't the Luke Skywalker of your life - you're actually Darth Vader.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
You might pick up comedian Robert Webb’s book for the promise of laughs but you’ll come away loving its brave honesty. His autobiographical debut questions the long-established rules of masculinity. Using anecdotes from his past and delving deep into his own psyche, Webb interrogates pre-conceived notions of manhood such as “men are good at directions” with wit, clarity and compassion. On the surface this is a hilarious and heart-breaking memoir but, without a soapbox in sight, Webb also makes thoughtful points about the expectations we force on our sons, brothers and husbands.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
British comedian and actor Webb (Peep Show) wrestles with what exactly it means to be a man in this deeply vulnerable and consistently funny memoir. Born in 1972, Webb grew up as a quiet and sensitive boy in Lincolnshire, England, with an abusive, alcoholic father. He was taught that "boys are brave" and that "boys don't cry." During his teenage years, he discovered his love of performing (as King Herod, he "made an entrance by stepping on my own cloak, choking") and his sexuality (with Will, "my new Best Friend, the first thing I want to do is undress him") and was devastated by his mother's death from breast cancer. As he entered adulthood, Webb continued to cope with his mother's death, but his repressed grief turned into anger, resulting in his frequent lashing out at others. Webb continued to contend with gender constructs and stereotypes, often ridiculing them (in birth announcements, parents "express pride' if it's a boy and happiness' if it's a girl"); he views phrases such as "Get a grip" and "Act like a man" as expressions that are debilitating, part of an entrenched mentality that encourages boys to bury emotions. Webb posits that "patriarchy was created for the convenience of men, but it comes at a heavy cost to ourselves and everyone else." Webb's memoir is a timely commentary on the value society places on masculine traits.
