Part memoir, part timely cultural criticism, Eyal Cohen's Take the L explores love, fear, and modern masculinity, lending his witty and candid voice to the growing dialogue on young men’s mental health.

For fans of Jared Yates Sexton and Jia Tolentino, Take the L by Eyal Cohen is an unflinchingly honest exploration of what happens when a young man dares to love deeply for the first time. Told through lyrical vignettes set in the chaos and charm of New York City, Cohen unpacks his relationship with the elusive “L” while unraveling the silent conditioning that teaches men to fear vulnerability, mistrust intimacy, and retreat from emotional risk.

This book speaks directly to young men standing at the intersection of relationship and individuation—those trying to navigate connection in a world that rarely gives them the tools to do so. Cohen doesn’t just tell a love story; he cracks open the emotional armor so many men wear, offering language, reflection, and validation in a voice that feels like a friend, not a therapist.

For readers hungry to understand the emotional terrain of modern masculinity, Take the L: How Men Understand, Withhold, and Express Their Love joins the urgent cultural conversation around men’s mental health and emotional literacy. It’s a book that invites men to feel more, say more, and show up, and bring those close to them along for the ride.