Author Jamell Crouthers writes a book series on men’s social issues, “The Struggles and Growth of a Man.” This five book series tackles social stigmas that men face daily in today’s society. This is a Q and A regarding the book series,”The Struggles and Growth of a Man.”
What inspired you to write the first book, “The Struggles and Growth of a Man?”
The inspiration behind this book was to speak on men’s issues going on in today’s world. We as men deal with so many things and I tackle a few of these issues in this book series. From mental health to expressing ourselves in a productive way, masculinity, understanding ourselves, not falling into the expectations of the world to always be strong and a few other things.
What was your goal with writing this book?
My goal is to get readers to understand that we deal with a lot as men and sometimes we don’t have an outlet to speak to someone about these things. We tend to internalize a lot of our issues, afraid of how others will think about and perceive us. The goal is to break the social stigmas expected of us and open people’s eyes to mental health, internal struggles and having outlets to speak to others about our issues (ie. therapist).
How long did it take for you to write the first book?
The first book took a few weeks to write, proofread and format. I have a blog on the process on my website (Book Insight Fridays) and I posted a picture of my exact notes to how I wrote the first book.
Did you have any intentions on writing a book series?
Honestly, I didn’t at all because I started writing other books. After reading an article about readers, I realized that readers like book series and that’s when I decided to write a five book series.
What is the first book about? Are there any real life situations you’ve experienced in this book?
The first book is about a young mid-20s, fictional character named Robert who chronicles his life in a prose written, formatted book about his life. He talks about his childhood, his mistakes, how he’s grown and the challenges he faces as a young man who has been told all of the wrong things about being a man and trying to break the social stigmas and expectations that’s bestowed upon him daily.
What is it about men’s social issues where you felt you needed to write a book series on it?
“Letters to a Brother” by Hill Harper was a book I read years ago and it made me realize there aren’t enough books that discuss social issues that men go through. I felt there was a need for that in the book space and I knew once I wrote one book, it would lead to more books being written about men’s issues.
How did you come up with the storylines and concepts of this book series?
The biggest thing for me is I am very aware of what’s going on around me and in the world. I’ve grown up in various neighborhoods from good to bad, I’ve listened to men and their experiences in life, I’ve watched and observed the world, there’s a lot of things I’ve seen.
I wanted to keep the book series interesting, engaging, and true to life. I was able to incorporate a myriad of things a man can go through and experience early on in their lives. There were a lot of brainstorming sessions with each book and writing out chapter outlines.
What were the challenges in writing this book series?
The challenges were being consistent in writing and finishing the series. It’s hard to mentally focus and write a complete book from beginning to end. Another challenge was making sure that each book is exciting, keeps the reader engaged and it brings thought into what we deal with in our lives.
As the series progresses, what other life situations occur with Robert (without giving anything away)?
Without giving anything away, there’s death, anguish, love, empathy, finding himself, learning, growing, brotherly bonding, redemption and change. It’s a rollercoaster ride through life, that’s the best way to sum it up.
What do you want readers to get from reading this book series?
The biggest thing I want readers to get from reading, “The Struggles and Growth of a Man” series is that men go through a lot in our lives. We need to be more open to groups where we can talk about our lives, our experiences, our struggles and how we can better ourselves.
More information can be found on https://solo.to/strugglesandgrowth.
