"Jeff Mann is so talented that he can write anything and do so successfully. But young adult, you ask? Yes, he can write that too. In this case he does so with the authority of someone who has experience on the subject. Cub fills an empty space within LGBT young adult reading materials by thoroughly connecting with the outsider, identifying and soothing the fears and opening up a whole new world to young cubs. Highly recommended." - Impressions of a Reader
"Mann conveys the experience that most rural gays go through as they attempt to negotiate their homosexuality in a place that often discriminates against them.... This novel explores rural Appalachia in another context--and makes a significant contribution to the disciplines of Appalachian Studies and Queer Studies." - Travis A. Rountree, Appalachian Journal
''It's a book for those boys out there who have discovered that they are different from many of their friends, but who also feel the division within the subculture they thought they could identify with. Their aloneness does not cease once they've figured out their sexual proclivities, but knowing who they are brings even more compartmentalization. Cub lets them feel there's room at the table for them. And I can think of no one better to write this story than Jeff Mann, whose table is as broad and wide as his heart. If this doesn't become a classic, there's no justice.'' - Out in Print
''Finally, a young-adult romance that features Bears and their friends. Travis has, with the aid of his now-off-to-college friends, come out. Living on the West Virginia farm that is a part of him, he dreams of finding his one true love. But wait! Travis is no ordinary country boy. He is a Wiccan leather bear who is going to be true to himself, no matter what. Travis meets Mike; they fall for each other and then have to learn one of life's meanest lessons together. Cub is another great read by Jeff Mann.'' - OutSmart Magazin