Tom MacWright

tom@macwright.com

I read How Not To Be A Boy by Robert Webb on

Review

I bought this book, as a paperback, as part of an effort to jump-start my reading habit. It’s short, it’s by a famous actor I like, this is the kind of book that didn’t require too much effort to get through.

But that sells it short. This is a great book, even factoring away Webb’s fame. He mines plenty of humor and sentimentality from his childhood. The sad parts are properly sad and poetic. It’s self-effacing, but not to the point of seeking pity. The commentary on gender isn’t anything groundbreaking, especially because in the 5 years since its publication and today, we’ve had a heck of a lot of gender commentary in popular culture. But it’s all interesting, entertaining, and it certainly helps normalize the experience of bi men, without minimizing it - a tough combination to achieve.

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