$3.99

EPUB format • Instant download

Also available on:

About This Book

Thirteen-year-old Mateo has learned to perform a version of 'masculinity' that keeps him safe: loud jokes, shrugged feelings, and careful avoidance of anything labeled 'soft.' At school he’s cast as the narrator in a play about everyday heroes and joins an after-school creative writing group. The writing group—led by a kindly teacher and populated by friends Ava and Jamal—gives Mateo small prompts that ask him to write true memories, not jokes. The act of writing becomes a mirror: he sees how much of his behavior is an act and how tired he is of pretending. As Mateo experiments with quieter, more honest choices—sharing a real worry with Ava, sketching in the art room, wearing a bright scarf of his choosing—he faces small but painful setbacks: a few classmates tease him, and a moment with his dad feels awkward rather than comforting. Rather than solving everything at once, Mateo takes tiny, risky steps and writes about each one in the group. The turning point comes on opening night when, asked to improvise, Mateo delivers a short, raw monologue about a moment he tried to be brave in a way that didn’t look like other boys’ bravery. The applause is real but what matters more is the number of students who approach him afterward to say they felt seen. Mateo’s brave honesty sparks a student-run 'True Voices' open mic where others share stories. The story ends with Mateo understanding that courage includes gentleness and that being himself invites deeper friendships and respect—earned, not demanded.

Themes

📖 Want to read the original story first?