Man o' War

By: Cory McCarthy

Narrated by: E.R. Fightmaster

A Stonewall Honor Book

An achingly honest and frequently hilarious coming-of-age novel about an Arab American trans teen fighting to keep their head above water in a landlocked Midwestern town.

Man o' wars are not jellyfish, and River McIntyre is not happy. River doesn't know why they're unhappy—though perhaps it has something to do with the way they relate more to captive marine life at the local aquarium than to the people around them. That is, until they have a run-in with Indigo "Indy" Waits on the annual class field trip. Face-to-face with an affirmed queer person, River leaps out of the closet and into the shark tank. Literally. What follows is a wrenching journey of self-discovery that spans years and winds through layers of coming out, transition, and top surgery, promising a free life for River with so much more than happiness: A life that's full of trans joy and true love.

“River is the most emotionally engaging character I've read in a long time, and this novel is a deep and comprehensive exploration of the journey transgender people trek through the confining world they're born into. Eye-opening, heartfelt, and real—with a massive payoff of true love.” —A.S. King, author of Dig, winner of the Michael L. Printz Award

©2022 Cory McCarthy (P)2022 Listening Library

Critic reviews

An Autostraddle Best Book of the Year

A BookPage Best Book of the Year

A Buzzfeed Best Book of the Year

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

"I loved the way this book explored the intersection between trans and mixed-race identity through a deeply honest portrait of how small-town life can constrict when you don’t fit in. I wish it had existed when I was a teen grappling with my own identity."—Tehlor Kay Mejia for the New York Times

★ "A beautiful and relentless current of emotion."—Kirkus, starred review

★ "A thoughtful, nuanced exploration of what it’s like to feel trapped—and how to make it out."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

A must read/listen for all humans!!

Absolutely adore this book and it's many jewels on being your truest self. Thank you Ms. Chang. I learned so many interesting facts about marine life and went into a research hole on bluebottles aka Man O' Wars, so much that im considering them for a tattoo. I'd never read anything by this author but jumped at the chance when I saw a post by the person READING the book. Fight, does a beautiful job narrating this story and I'm excited to read/listen to more stories from the author. Well done!!

Acceptance

This book helped me to understand myself, and how, and what to do with that new knowledge more than i can explain, thank you.

MUST READ/LISTEN!

I never realized that I have never really read a book where I was reflected in a character. Listening to this was a revelation and I’ve never felt more seen.

The love story is engaging, E.R. Fightmaster gives an incredible performance, and the internal struggle of the protagonist is gripping!

This book is an absolute must whether you’re queer or dinosaur!

Revelatory!!

As someone with zero experience as anything other than a "Dinosaur", this book opened my eyes to thr struggles, fights, pain, joy, and happiness that a Trans person goes through to find themselves. Cory is an absolute master storyteller, navigating the reader through so many emotions without losing them in the process. River is an immensely likeable protagonist and Indigo is an amazingly loveable person!!!! I can't recommend this book enough

Genuinely One of the Best Stories I’ve Ever Read

Cory McCarthy writes with such emotional depth and poetic imagery. I lost count of how many times I teared up, laughed out loud, or felt an emotional punch to the gut. The second time I listened to this audiobook was no less awe-inspiring. E.R. Fightmaster was the perfect choice to narrate this story. I’ll be recommending this to everyone in my life who could use some insight into the trans experience.

Man o war helped me understand my child

This book hit me in so many ways and really helped me understand gender dysphoria in a way that I couldn’t understand when my own child was declaring their non binary identity. I’m sad that the story ended it has felt like a friend to me over the last few weeks.

Beautiful, inspiring story!

This is such an important book, and I am glad that it is out in the world. Main character River is an imperfect teen navigating the complexity of discovering who they are. This is the kind of story that expands perspectives and builds empathy for all the ways that there are to live and be in the world. Beautifully written by Cory McCarthy, and powerfully read by E.R. Fightmaster. Highly recommend!

Amazing! Heartbreaking and touching

This story aches and frees. Fightmaster’s performance is perfection. Highly recommend especially to trans, queer, questioning and those seeking to understand.

A good but painful book

This book took two months for me to finish. As a trans man, the entire book was painful. It was a reminder of who I was, who I had to struggle to become, and who I am now. So many memories are common between River and me. We both we entirely shut down due to dysphoria. And then having to watch River spend nearly 4/5 of the book unhappy and angry as they tried to figure themselves out gutted me. Yes, the book ended on a happy note, but still it was a horribly painful book. As a point of note, if you are not transmasculine, I doubt this book will punch as hard. In fact, people might find it quite interesting and educational. But, River's journey will probably be difficult for any trans man.