★★★★
Shelby Lorman’s Awards for Good Boys is the hysterical satire and insights on modern dating and gender relations through thoughtful words and minimalist drawings.
Lorman, also known as @awardsforgoodboys on Instagram, is a master at succinctly sharing a universal dating or gender truth through the simplest of drawings. She’s known for her sarcastic awards, given to “good boys” when they do the absolute bare minimum and expect to be (or actually are) praised.
Awards for Good Boys digs into the social and personal ramifications of modern dating and the tendency to praise men for not being total monsters through hilarious drawings and insightful essays.
My Thoughts
Awards for Good Boys is a tiny, unassuming book – but it rocks! If you follow Shelby on Instagram, you know just how funny, talented, and thoughtful she is – and her book is no exception.
Lorman discusses various modern dating phenomena that she’s encountered during her time as a single woman in New York City, things like Failures in Communication and Catcall, But Make it Fashion. She delves into her experiences with them, provides advice, and cracks jokes in a sort of short essay form. Then we get dozens of fantastic drawings and comics depicting literal awards given to the goodest of boys, real conversations Shelby has had with men, and much more.
Lorman’s drawings are surely the star of the show – hilarious and poignant, but her writing is also deeply insightful and well-crafted. She uses fantastic metaphors to help readers understand why the social phenomena she’s describing are toxic.
Awards for Good Boys is a hilarious, very real look at modern dating. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn something, and you’ll walk away from this pint-sized book with more discernment for the games (some) men play.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my thoughts on Awards for Good Boys. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book in the comments or at my Instagram, @bookmarkedbya!
