How Not To Be a Boy

RULES FOR BEING A MANDon’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.

Reviews of How Not To Be a Boy

Quite simply brilliant. I (genuinely) cried. I (genuinely) laughed out loud. It's profound, touching, personal yet universal . . . I loved it — J.K. ROWLING Takes us deftly from hilarity to heart-stopping hurt . . . A truly great read, full of heart — DAWN FRENCH Written with wit and clarity, How Not to Be a Boy is a funny, rueful, truthful book. I enjoyed every page — STEPHEN FRY A witty, honest coming-of-age story with a subtext that tackles masculinity and manhood. Webb has a storytelling skill many would kill for — IAN RANKIN Timely and candid, told with great humour, warmth and compassion. A much-needed contribution to the vital conversation about the damage gender can do — JUNO DAWSON Simply brilliant — JOANNA LUMLEY Very funny and wise on the perils of masculinity — MATT HAIG