All the $#!T I Wish I Knew in High School - Paperback

by Tom Borak (Author)

All the $#!T I Wish I Knew in High School is a guidebook for young men navigating the formative, often precarious, bridge between childhood and adulthood. It offers a relatable, transparent, and heart-felt conversation about challenging topics and situations that are rarely discussed with the raw honesty they deserve.

It is a resource for young men who have pressing questions about difficult topics but either do not have anyone to ask or are too embarrassed to do so. It is for young men growing up without a father figure or role model in their life. It is for young men who are looking for a fresh, honest, and responsible alternative to the toxic masculinity that has permeated our culture.

Yes, this book tackles the usual suspects of sex, pornography, drugs, and alcohol. However, it also deconstructs topics that are more personal and shame-ridden, like the socially-perpetuated beliefs that "real men don't cry," and showing empathy in any context is a sign of weakness. It examines the very question of what it means to be a man and exposes many of the lies young men tell themselves that keep them up at night, like the belief that failure is final, money is the key to happiness, and that they need to have their future "all figured out" by the time they leave high school. It also shares and relates universal truths, like the truth about bullying and what love really means.

The book is composed as a series of personal letters from an uncle to his nephew. Each chapter/letter incorporates true stories and situations from the author's life, making the topics approachable, relevant, and relatable to the reader. Presenting the content in this way disarms the natural defensive stance many young people take when receiving advice. Without being personally challenged or threatened, the reader is given space to absorb the information passively, as if eavesdropping on a private conversation, permitting him to think critically about each topic and consider how the lessons contained in each letter can be applied to his own life.