How to Be a Big Strong Man A Modern Guide to Masculinity

This bright book of sassy cartoons redefines what it takes to be a man. Long story short, there are no rules, nor should there be.

This book is definitive proof that masculinity as we know it is a myth. A big, dumb, silly, and quite poorly constructed myth! This book pokes lighthearted fun at the very notion of manhood by offering a contemporary guide to masculinity. Thus: How to Be A Big Strong Man.

Through its 150 tongue-firmly-in-cheek illustrations by queer artist Samuel Leighton-Dore, this book explores the many identities of a modern man. A manly man gets a pedicure, and a manly man calls his grandmother for a nice long chat. Above all, a manly man can cry whenever he pleases and knows that "manliness" is an outdated construct.... Duh!

Just a few short years ago, anyone using the term toxic masculinity would likely have received blank stares or derision in return. But now, at this critical societal juncture, everyone is thinking and talking about how ideas of manhood (as prescribed from birth) affect the way men think and act. How to Be a Big Strong Man explores all these weighty ideas through its cute, sassy, and satirical cartoons.

Samuel Leighton-Dore is an Australian writer of queer culture, a satirical cartoonist, a painter of explicit murals, and a crafter of ceramic phalluses. His writing has appeared in publications such as Gay Times, DNA and Huffington Post, and he has had solo gallery shows around Australia (most recently at the 2019 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras).