brother. do. you. love. me.

by Manni Coe

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Pub Date May 07 2024 | Archive Date May 07 2024

Greystone Books

Biographies & Memoirs | Nonfiction (Adult) | Parenting & Families

Description

The story of two brothers, one with Down syndrome, and their extraordinary journey of resilience and repair.

"Profoundly moving and hugely uplifting."—Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Reuben, aged 38, was living in a home for adults with learning disabilities. He hadn’t established an independent life in the care system and was still struggling to accept that he had Down syndrome. Depressed and in a fog of antidepressants, he hadn’t spoken for over a year. The only way he expressed himself was by writing poems or drawing felt-tip scenes from his favorite musicals and films. Increasingly isolated, cut off from everyone and everything he loved, Reuben sent a text message: brother. do. you. love. me.

When Manni received this desperate message from his youngest brother, he knew everything had to change. He immediately left his life in Spain and returned to England, moving Reuben out of the care home and into an old farm cottage in the countryside. In the stillness of winter, they began an extraordinary journey of repair, rediscovering the depths of their brotherhood, one gradual step at a time.

Combining Manni’s tender words with Reuben’s powerful illustrations, their story of hope and resilience questions how we care for those we love, and demands that, through troubled times, we learn how to take better care of each other.

Advance Praise

Shortlisted for the British Booksellers Award Book of the Year

“In tender prose and imaginative pictures, this inventive, inspirational story traces the enduring bonds of brotherhood.”

—Kathleen Gerard, Shelf Awareness

"Manni Coe’s heartfelt debut chronicles his close relationship with his younger brother, Reuben, who has Down syndrome. ... This deeply felt ode to brotherly love will melt readers’ hearts."

—Publishers Weekly

"What a beautiful story of love between brothers. A man with Downs syndrome, who is isolated in a group home during Covid, texts his brother five words. Brother. Do. You. Love. Me. This memoir is gentle, kind, and filled with a purity of love that is hard to capture. Please read this book. It will warm your heart and lift your spirits high."

—Mary O'Malley, Skylark Bookshop

“Profoundly moving and hugely uplifting.”

—Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

“A fable for our time.”

—Sara Wheeler, The Spectator

“This is a story of our times so beautifully told and illustrated by Reubs and Manni. Deeply touching and a joy to read.”

—Jo Whiley, BBC

“You close the book feeling deeply moved by the depth of their brotherly love.”

—Daily Mail

“The most heartening love story I’ve ever read.”

—Frank Cottrell-Boyce, novelist and screenwriter

“This is such an inspiring and beautifully written story of brotherly love.”

—Martha Kearney, broadcast

“While this is a book about how we take care of each other in any context, it also has something profound to communicate about those made vulnerable by society’s tendency to view such gifts as limitations.”

—The Bookseller

Shortlisted for the British Booksellers Award Book of the Year

“In tender prose and imaginative pictures, this inventive, inspirational story traces the enduring bonds of brotherhood.”

—Kathleen...

Marketing Plan

Manni and Reuben Coe North American Tour

Thursday, June 6 at Books & Books in Coral Gables, FL
Friday, June 7 at The Palm Beach Bookstore in Palm Beach, FL
Tuesday, June 11 at Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, NY
Thursday, June 13 - Saturday, June 15 at Nantucket Book Festival in Nantucket, MA
Monday, June 17 at Camh Auditorium with Caversham Booksellers in Toronto, ON
Friday, June 21 at Brookline Booksmith in Boston, MA

Manni and Reuben Coe North American Tour