Synopsis

A compelling coming-of-age Own Voices story that explores steroid abuse and body dysmorphia, from the acclaimed author of The Closest I’ve Come.

David Espinoza is tired of being messed with. When a video of him getting knocked down by a bully’s slap goes viral at the end of junior year, David vows to use the summer to bulk up—what he thinks it takes to become a man—and wow everyone when school starts back up in the fall.

David starts to spend all his time at a nearby gym that’s full of bodybuilders. Frustrated with his slow progress at first, his life eventually becomes all about his muscle gains. As it says on the gym wall: That which does not kill me makes me stronger.

As David falls into the dark side of the bodybuilding world, pursuing his ideal body at all costs, he’ll have to grapple with the fact that it could actually cost him everything.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Right?