A riveting, poignant satire of societal ills, with an added dose of
fantasy, Every Boy Should Have a Man takes place in a post-human
world, where creatures called oafs keep humanlike "mans" as beloved
pets. One day, a poor boy oaf brings home a man, whom he hides under his
bed, in the hopes his parents won't find out. When the man is
discovered, the boy admits it is not his - but the boy is no delinquent.
Despite the accusations being hurled at him, he's telling the truth when
he says he found the man wandering aimlessly in the bramble.
Nevertheless, he must return the man to his rightful owner. But when the
heartbroken boy comes home from school one afternoon, he finds wrapped
up in red ribbon a female man with a note around her neck: "Every boy
should have a man. You're a fine son. Love, Dad."
Thus begins Every Boy Should Have a Man, Preston L. Allen's picaresque
journey into uncharted territory in earth, sky, and firmament. This
audiobook traces the story of the boy and his three "mans," Brown Skin
who is not his, the tragic Red Sleeves who has no voice, and her
quick-witted daughter Red Locks, whose epic journey takes her from the
backbreaking drudgery of the mines, to the perils of the battlefield, to
the savagery of cannibalism.
Oafs and mans each gain insight and understanding into one another's
worlds, and the worlds that touch theirs - ultimately showing that oafs
and mans share a common "humanity." Filled with surprising twists and
turns, this audiobook is in part a morality tale that takes on many of
today's issues, including poverty, the environment, sexism, racism, war,
and religion, all in lighthearted King James prose.
