To be a man is the story of two young Appalachian boys. Randy Watson is an asthmatic weakling who's days are filled with bullies and suffering until he meets an unlikely savior in the form of his best friend Bobby Hale. When Child protective services seeks to remove Bobby from his abusive father's home which threatens to take him far away from Randy, the two resolve to run away from home together. The ensuing adventure takes the duo on a journey over land, water, and rails while taking the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride. It's a coming of age tale in the tradition of Tom Sawyer and...