Man O' War

🪼 "It's easy to realize you're not happy, but it's much harder to figure out how to fix that." 🪼I listened Cory McCarthy's Man O' War, narrated by E.R. Fightmaster, in one sitting. After not having read much at all for over a year, I quickly and happily sank into River's world and their all too familiar coming of age story that transgender teens go through. Although no two experiences are the same, the emotion, the worries, the euphoria, and everything in between is nearly universal, and McCarthy writes it so well.MAN O' WAR follows River McIntyre over a few years as they discover who exactly they are and who they want to become. Naturally, it's complicated. Even further complicated by the fact that discovering yourself means you have to figure out how to navigate being true to yourself in spaces where people are too busy projecting their own inner world onto you to perceive you the way you view yourself.River is a swimmer, an Arab American, a transgender teen, and someone just trying to exist without making waves. Well, leaping into a shark tank to escape a painfully awkward conversation you already know you'll be playing in your head before bed for years to come certainly made a lot of waves. But they're trying to minimize it! All while still keeping everything and everyone they love in their life. It's a hell of a balancing act, and MAN O' WAR is a hell of a book that I hope you all consider picking up.

What a raw, honest, gorgeous, heartbreaking, joyful, witty, beautiful exploration of authenticity, love, and self-exploration. McCarthy not only shows you River’s experiences, but you feel them as if they were your own. Following River from their high school to college years while discovering what makes them feel the most comfortable and authentically themselves was an experience I feel so grateful to have read. Working through and processing in real time pronouns, name change, dysphoria, and more felt so authentic and true to River’s character. Watching them discover such a full and authentic life was such a joy. River and Indy’s relationship, how they come together, fall apart, and find one another again, was so complicated and beautiful and messy. The ending of the book truly reminded me that there are books that are essential in this world, and I believe this is one of them.The ending acknowledgements from McCarthy were so kind and left me emotional. Like River, Knowing that McCarthy is also an Arab-American, nonbinary trans person, who also swam competitively, was so incredible to know how important this story was to McCarthy and his experience.Finally, E.R. Fightmaster did an outstanding job narrating this book.CW: transphobia, homophobia, dysphoria, deadnaming, racism, sexual content, acephobia/arophobia, medical content, self harm, Islamophobia

This novel was an absolute revelation! I didn’t know there was any book out there that could hold up such a clear and accurate mirror to myself. Reading this was like talking to an old friend. It was stunning and moving. I wish this had existed when I was a teen!This is for everyone out there: those that are trans, those that don’t fit into the binary, those that want to understand, and those that want a compelling narrative!I can not recommend enough!

MAN O' WAR is a powerful coming-of-age story that everyone should read. This is a story of identity and self-discovery, of coming out, of falling in love, of family, and of friendship. River is a teen growing up in a small town in Ohio. As River begins to find the language to describe their experience, they are given the chance to be who they truly are. This journey is not an easy one as River faces prejudices--from others as well as those they themself have internalized--, complex family relationships, and dysphoria. Along the way, River's experiences are deeply affected by those around them, especially Indy who is openly queer and helps River to understand their journey, what it means to be in love, and to be unapologetically happy.I could go on and on about this story and how much I loved it, but I really think you should pick up a copy and follow River's journey yourself. This story will no doubt provide a beautiful mirror for many readers' experiences as well as a window for others.

Hands down, the best book I’ve ever read. I relate to this so very much, as well as it being perfectly written. Thank you.