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Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak and Dogs

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Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak and Dogs

By: Jordan Stephens
Narrated by: Jordan Stephens
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About this listen

 'Brutally honest as well as poetic' DOLLY ALDERTON
'Necessary, urgent and totally original' AFUA HIRSCH
'Essential reading for men of all ages' CALEB FEMI

Someone once asked me how I'd want to be remembered. I said, 'As the boy who grew.'

Love is a gift, isn’t it? From our early childhood years to growing up and pairing off, it’s a feeling we chase knowing we’re better off with it. But what if love is claustrophobic and conflicting? And what if at the same time we’re chasing addictions to drugs, drink, sex and chaos?

Diagnosed twice with ADHD, Jordan Stephens found his teens and twenties a whirl of career success and nurturing friendships but also a brutal pattern of self-harm, hedonism, destructive coping mechanisms and heartbreak. When he tried to live up to his own damaged expectations and his world exploded, he stepped away from his previous existence completely and allowed himself to explore the pain he’d repressed his entire life.

Unsparingly digging into the fear, tenderness and trauma he carried in his body and mind, and the confusing assumptions of what a young man should be, Jordan Stephens discovers what it means to be a modern man, why we should all open ourselves up to life, and how the price we pay for love in all its forms is worth it.
©2024 Jordan Stephens (P)2024 Canongate Books Ltd Black Creators Thought-Provoking Inspiring Heartfelt Emotionally Gripping

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All stars
Most relevant
An incredible, insightful and honest account of life being a young black male. So enlightening. So raw and true. Incredible. I loved every minute. People need to read this!!!!

The honesty

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really enjoyed every word and every sentence. wonderful. really feel that Jordan is an amazing male role model and ambassador for masculinity

Great book

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Jordan has written a hybrid memoir slash self help book that is rammed full of advice for the reader in the form of a retrospective breakdown of his own experiences and feelings in the aftermath of a break up. The whole thing is packed with raw honesty and analysis of men, mental health, adhd and drug misuse, it never feels preachy or full of self pity. The delivery is perhaps the star of the show. Jordan is a beat poet for a new generation, the words ring through with style and character that gave me an awe inspired grin across my face as I listened. Quite possibly this is one of my favourite books this year.

Raw, honest & poetic

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As someone with ADHD, it can be incredibly difficult to stay engaged even if the book is gripping. I finished this book in 3-days, with lots of ‘30-second backs’ as I didn’t want to miss a single word. The 2nd book I have ever finished in my life. The poetic nature of the authors vulnerability left me speechless sitting at the top my stairs trying to process what had just happened to me minutes after the book finished. I was unbelievably moved, but somehow the author managed to encourage me to be moved by my own journey. Not just while listening to the book, but by the whole experience of my mistakes. We all make mistakes, how we punish ourselves is where the meanings lay. He reminded me that to human is to be both sides of a coin, and to let them rise together. I am therapist who works with students, who also performs spoken word. The deepness of the contexts and themes and the author’s ability to get that across in language and rhyme, was incredibly kept real, making it so relatable. I will be recommending this book to all of the students I work with, as I truly believe it’s what every young person (in which all struggle in one way or another) needs to hear before they reach adulthood. However - it’s never too late. I am truly grateful for your memoir, as it echos so so many other’s internal monologues and feelings. I’m confident that by sharing, it will give those who relate a bravery to speak their truth and feel their feels. Big love and peace! Genie ✨

Vulnerability At It’s Finest

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Although it took me a while to fully immerse myself in this audiobook, when I got into its rhythm, I loved it truly. Like the relationship it describes, the easiest things to get into are often not the best fit for us.
This book although written by someone quite different from me, chimed so true. The explanation of being do much in your head, that your body - trying desperately to guide you with its emotions - seems so distant from you.
Jordan Stephens is a wonderful writer and manages to be refreshingly honest without appearing worthy or to ask too much from you.

A wonderful way with words

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