Man Down

by James Goodhand

Will Parks needs to man up.

A man stands. A man fights. A man bleeds.

These are the first lessons you learn in a town where girls are objects, words are weak and fists do the talking.

Will's more at home in the classroom than the gym, and the most important woman in his life is his gran. So how can a boy who's always backed away from a fight become the hero who saves the day?

Because a disaster is coming. One that Will can prevent. But only if he learns the most important lesson of all: sometimes to step up, you have to man down.

A searingly powerful exploration of toxic masculinity, perfect for fans of Juno Dawson or They Both Die at the End.

'Stylish, thought-provoking thriller territory . . . Highly recommended' - The Irish Times

'Staggeringly good . . . had me hanging on every word' Louisa Reid, author of Wrecked and Lies Like Love

'Good books make you feel something. Great books change the way you feel about everything. Man Down is a great book. No one is writing about young men's lives with as much warmth, empathy and humour as James is right now.' Samuel Pollen, author of The Year I Didn't Eat

'Utterly compelling, completely original and will undoubtedly be one of the standout books of 2022. An absolute must read' - Adam Simcox, author of The Dying Squad

'An excellent look at what it means to "be a man" amid a culture of peer pressure and toxic masculinity while navigating desire and friendship. Loved it.' - Anna Stephens, author of Godblind

'Emotionally complex, dark and clever - a very unexpected, thoughtful and original book. I can honestly think of no other YA quite like it.' - Gina Blaxill, author of Saving Silence

• ISBN10: 0241383331
• ISBN13: 9780241383339
• Publish Date: 3 March 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

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Thank you The Write Reads for the chance to be on the book tour for Man Down by James Goodhand.

 

Man Down is a young adult book that came out this year. It was published by Penguin, and despite the paperback being 400 pages, Man Down is a very quick read.

 

I’m struggling to write a review that doesn’t contain too many spoilers, so if you want to avoid any chance of those I recommend you just read the blurb and buy the book! I’m leaving it a solid 4 stars!

 

Will Parks, our main character is getting really odd messages. The messages help his friends and family avoid some really catastrophic situations; although it’s the messages that help him get friends in the first place.

 

Will was an odd main, I rarely remember reading about a character who was this non-confrontational. I also had to remind myself to not judge him at a point; after all he is a child. I shouldn’t sit there and think that as a dude he needs to be more aggressive, when I know I’m still not expected to be.

 

But I also loved how the messages helped him grow a bit and come into his own. Will is shown to be a talented, likable person, who struggled and got caught up in his own head with people around him who were so much more out there. Will is able to save that girl, which had nothing to do with the messages, but a lot to do with his quick thinking.

 

I didn’t see the twist of who the messages were coming from until close to the end, and even then I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, which I liked. I also love that he does get a chance to do it all over.

 

If Will was real, I’d like to tell him I’m rooting for him.