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Take the L

How Men Understand, Withhold, and Express Their Love

Published by Sentient Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
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About The Book

What happens when a man falls in love for the first time? When he must be vulnerable and exposed for his love to flourish? Why does the promise of intimacy trigger inhibition? And how does his conditioning ignite his instinct to withdraw? Eyal Cohen explores these questions through interweaving vignettes that braid a young man’s experience of falling in love with the complexities of contemporary masculinity. Set against the backdrop of a millennial’s life in New York City, Cohen offers a fresh take on the true risks and rewards of falling in love. Through the lens of his budding romance with the mysterious “L,” Cohen delves into intimacy, communication, and toxicity, offering readers an unabashed and nuanced perspective on the young male experience today. Take the L creates space and provides the language for meaningful conversations for those looking to better understand the young men in their lives—whether they be peers, partners, colleagues, or sons. Through the telling of how his relationship blossomed and then unraveled, Cohen illustrates how love serves as a container for both our deepest wounds and our biggest transformations, calling us to consider how we learn about love from those we know, those we observe, and those who ultimately come to define the word itself.

About The Author

Product Details

  • Publisher: Sentient Publications (August 1, 2025)
  • Length: 225 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781591813446

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Raves and Reviews

"A lively, frank and inventive rumination, experimental in the best sense.If you've ever wondered what goes on in the mind of an intelligent, sex-obsessed, bookish young man of today's generation who is trying to figure out the meaning of love, this is the ideal place to start."

– Philip Lopate

"With remarkable wit and intensity, Take the L cracks open the soft center of the masculine soul. In this era of accelerated romantic connections and breakups, here is a story of how love can transform one’s perception of the entire world. Take the L got under my skin and opened my mind. A wholly original and necessary read."

– Wendy Walters

"A whip-smart series of awkwardly hilarious, earnest and insightful essays about love, masculinity, youth, age, and the search for meaning, Eyal Cohen's TAKE THE L strikes at the heart with a subtlety that's hard to pull off."

– Jinwoo Chong

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