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Oclon's characters are likable and well developed, with endearing flaws for the heroes, and villains whom readers will love to hate. Fast-paced action sequences stand out in a story that mostly focuses on the main characters' internal lives...VERDICT... this quick read is excellent for reluctant readers. Purchase where sports books--especially those with a twist--are in high demand. --School Library Journal, Heather Waddell, Sargent Memorial Library, Boxborough, MA David grows and changes as a character throughout the book, and as a writing teacher, I appreciate that the story ends at a resolution of his character's arc. --Jen Reads the Rainbow David's journey to finding his own strength and voice was compelling, but he also learned sometimes you have to deal with curveballs that are thrown your way--you may not be able to control what others think or whether or not you'll get that specific scholarship you were hoping for. But you can choose whether you'll let those curveballs passively strike you out or if you'll step up to the plate! --Nicole, Feed Your Fiction Addiction Man Up is an important and realistic young adult novel that deals with bullying, homophobia, and physical violence against the backdrop of varsity sports. --Ashley Hostrom, Foreword Reviews Interspersed with interstitials by Tyler, David's narrations is down-to-earth and relatable, particularly for teens who live in places without large LGBTQ communities. Students preparing for the leap from high school to college in particular will find plenty to identify with. --Publishers Weekly Oclon thoughtfully develops David's and Tyler's inner transformations when it comes to self-acceptance, noting how others in their community need to grow with them. Whiteness is situated as the default for all major characters. An engaging and enlightening coming-out tale for teens of all sexual persuasions. --Kirkus Reviews

High school athletes reckon with being gay.In her debut novel, Oclon explores the charged playing fields of homophobia and high school sports. The tale unfolds through first-person narratives alternating between Lincoln High School students and boyfriends David and Tyler, who are equally committed to one another but at differing degrees of comfort with their sexual orientation. The novel opens with David's responding to his father's asking how he'd like his burger grilled by saying that he is gay--setting the stage for the focus on the unscripted awkwardness and challenges of coming out. A varsity baseball player, working-class David has been secretly dating blond track team member and AP student Tyler, who's openly gay and gladly participates in the school's LGBTQIAP support group. Much of the novel centers on David's gradual acceptance of others' learning he's gay as he faces repeated harassment, pressure to remain in the closet from his coach, and physical assault from a homophobic teammate while also dealing with his straight best friend's feeling betrayed when he learns about David's orientation from another teammate. Oclon thoughtfully develops David's and Tyler's inner transformations when it comes to self-acceptance, noting how others in their community need to grow with them. Whiteness is situated as the default for all major characters. An engaging and enlightening coming-out tale for teens of all sexual persuasions. --Kirkus Reviews An uplifting coming-of-age novel in which a high school senior figures out how to be himself, Kim Oclon's Man Up finds David wondering how to come out to his baseball team. Heading into his final year, David is feeling good. He has a spot on the varsity baseball team; he's hoping to receive scholarships from a few colleges. But he's also weighed down by his secret relationship with Tyler, the star of the track team and one of the school's few openly gay students. When Kevin, a classic bully who's the baseball team's hot shot, spots David and Tyler holding hands, he starts making snide homophobic comments and gets his dad to talk to the coach about removing distractions from the team. When his best friend and most of his team turn against him, David finds solace in new friends, including Patrick, a quiet teammate with two moms, and Allie, a softball player who works in the school library and is a lesbian. They and Tyler help David to grow and understand that he has nothing to be ashamed of. David and Tyler's tumultuous semester is followed through alternating perspectives. Their struggles are almost comically divergent: David is stressed about affording college and anxious about getting kicked off of the baseball team for being gay, while Tyler just wants to go to prom with his boyfriend. However, days and times are less clear as the novel progresses; whether events occur over hours or weeks is uncertain. Further, some of the students' homophobic attitudes seem dated for the Chicago suburbs, smartphone-saturated setting. Man Up is an important and realistic young adult novel that deals with bullying, homophobia, and physical violence against the backdrop of varsity sports. --Ashley Hostrom, Foreword Reviews

Oclon's characters are likable and well developed, with endearing flaws for the heroes, and villains whom readers will love to hate. Fast-paced action sequences stand out in a story that mostly focuses on the main characters' internal lives...VERDICT... this quick read is excellent for reluctant readers. Purchase where sports books--especially those with a twist--are in high demand. --School Library Journal, Heather Waddell, Sargent Memorial Library, Boxborough, MA Oclon thoughtfully develops David's and Tyler's inner transformations when it comes to self-acceptance, noting how others in their community need to grow with them. Whiteness is situated as the default for all major characters. An engaging and enlightening coming-out tale for teens of all sexual persuasions. --Kirkus Reviews Interspersed with interstitials by Tyler, David's narrations is down-to-earth and relatable, particularly for teens who live in places without large LGBTQ communities. Students preparing for the leap from high school to college in particular will find plenty to identify with. --Publishers Weekly Man Up is an important and realistic young adult novel that deals with bullying, homophobia, and physical violence against the backdrop of varsity sports. --Ashley Hostrom, Foreword Reviews

Author Information

With a BA in screenwriting and MFA in Fiction, Kim taught high school for six years before becoming a mom to the best girl and boy in the world. While teaching, she was fortunate to teach creative writing and film classes in addition to trudging through the classics. She also co-founded the school's first gay-straight alliance. A reader all her life, Kim's first literary loves were a series of Care Bear Books and Grover's Book of Resting Places. Eventually she graduated on to Sweet Valley Twins and The Babysitters Club. Kim lives in East Dundee, IL with her husband and two kids. MAN UP is her first novel. Her second novel, THE WAR ON ALL FRONTS, will be published in May 2022.

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