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How Not to Be a Boy

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How Not to Be a Boy

By: Robert Webb
Narrated by: Robert Webb
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$8.99/month after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offer ends on 29 July 2026 at 11:59 AEST.

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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.

©2017 Robert Webb (P)2017 Audible, Ltd
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Critic Reviews

"Quite simply brilliant. I (genuinely) cried. I (genuinely) laughed out loud. It's profound, touching, personal yet universal. I loved it." (JK Rowling)
"Takes us deftly from hilarity to heart-stopping hurt.... A truly great read." (Dawn French)
"A witty and honest coming-of-age story." (Ian Rankin)
"If you have ever loved, liked or known a man, please read this book." (Katy Brand)
"A brilliant, brave book." (Matt Lucas)
All stars
Most relevant
Listened in one swoop, tbh I had never heard of this "bloke" and now I have a new personal hero (?)

5/5

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An important account of one man's journey & attempt to break out of manbox. An insight & positive reminder that boys/men have rich emotional lives that can be stifled in many ways, which does no-one any good.

A book for right now!

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Wonderful. Sad, funny, insightful, packed with wonderful advice and genuine insight. I don't usually listen to this sort of book, but I'm tremendously grateful I listened to this particular one. I will absolutely listen to it several more times.

Life-changing

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Really easy read - great mix of humour, sadness and analysis of the ducked up world we find ourselves in as men. Highly recommended

Brilliant work - fantastic narrator

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Get ready, one-minute tears of laughter, the next just tears. Crafted not written, an extraordinary journey that isn't over yet.

He's complicated

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