Stories for Boys Who Dared to Be Different by Ben Brooks (Hardcover)

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls successfully addressed the huge gender imbalance in children’s books in the representation of girls. But boys need to know that prince charmings and brave hunters are not the only role-models either. In fact, a whole lot of them out there don’t identify with the idea of being a strong, independent, competitive saviour who never cries. As a boy, there is an assumption that you will conform to this stereotypical idea of masculinity, but what if you’re the introvert kind, what if you prefer to pick up a book rather than a sword, what if you’re very sensitive, what if you like the idea of wearing a dress? As statistics keep showing that there is an ongoing crisis with regards to young men and mental health, with unhelpful gender stereotypes contributing to this malaise, Stories for Boys Who Dare To Be Different offers a welcome alternative narrative. It is an extraordinary compilation of 100 stories of famous and not-so-famous men from the past to the present day, every single one of them a rule-breaker and innovator in his own way and all going on to achieve amazing things. Entries include Frank Ocean, Salvador Dali, Rimbaud, Beethoven, Barack Obama, Ai Weiwei and Jesse Owens – different sorts of heroes from all walks of life and from all over the world.