Books Are My Bag 2024 Shortlist
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Length
9 hours 38 minutes
Language
English
Narrators
Manni Coe & Reuben Coe
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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.
Manni Coe grew up in Yorkshire and Berkshire. He studied Latin American history culture at Edinburgh University which took him on adventures in South America before he finally settled in Andalucia, Spain. He now lives between Dorset and a tiny town called Archidona. He is the second of four brothers. He works as a private guide in Spain and around the world. brother.do.you.love.me is his first book.
Reuben Coe grew up in Berkshire and is the youngest of four brothers. He completed a B-tech in Drama and has a passion for drawing. His art has been used by both Norwich and St Paul’s Cathedral and his range of Christmas cards helped raise funds for the NHS during the pandemic. brother.do.you.love.me is his first book.
Manni Coe grew up in Yorkshire and Berkshire. He studied Latin American history culture at Edinburgh University which took him on adventures in South America before he finally settled in Andalucia, Spain. He now lives between Dorset and a tiny town called Archidona. He is the second of four brothers. He works as a private guide in Spain and around the world. brother.do.you.love.me is his first book.
Reuben Coe grew up in Berkshire and is the youngest of four brothers. He completed a B-tech in Drama and has a passion for drawing. His art has been used by both Norwich and St Paul’s Cathedral and his range of Christmas cards helped raise funds for the NHS during the pandemic. brother.do.you.love.me is his first book.
Manni Coe grew up in Yorkshire and Berkshire. He studied Latin American history culture at Edinburgh University which took him on adventures in South America before he finally settled in Andalucia, Spain. He now lives between Dorset and a tiny town called Archidona. He is the second of four brothers. He works as a private guide in Spain and around the world. brother.do.you.love.me is his first book.
Reuben Coe grew up in Berkshire and is the youngest of four brothers. He completed a B-tech in Drama and has a passion for drawing. His art has been used by both Norwich and St Paul’s Cathedral and his range of Christmas cards helped raise funds for the NHS during the pandemic. brother.do.you.love.me is his first book.
Reviews
Shortlisted for the British Booksellers Award Book of the Year
“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
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