Wow, I just loved this memoir.
This tells of identity, as a Black man, and as a gay man, and at a very basic level, as a man, and what that means for his attempts to find himself and handle everyone's expectations of who and what he *should* be. It gets into racism, homophobia, toxic masculinity, family, and addiction in a way that's completely refreshing.
It's an example of just truly great writing. That intangible, you-know-it-when-you-read-it quality of writing that sucks you in immediately and doesn't let you come up for air until you're through.
This covers his experiences as a young child, a young man in college, and an adult as well as his observations of a young boy on a city bus, and recognizing much of himself. It moves effortlessly between time periods, and even includes one segment from the perspective of his mother.
He very clearly is not trying to idealize himself, it comes off as brutally honest, even when it's not flattering.
I'm so glad I read this, and would definitely recommend!
Thanks to #bookishfirst and #houhgtonmifflinharcourt for an early copy of this!
This tells of identity, as a Black man, and as a gay man, and at a very basic level, as a man, and what that means for his attempts to find himself and handle everyone's expectations of who and what he *should* be. It gets into racism, homophobia, toxic masculinity, family, and addiction in a way that's completely refreshing.
It's an example of just truly great writing. That intangible, you-know-it-when-you-read-it quality of writing that sucks you in immediately and doesn't let you come up for air until you're through.
This covers his experiences as a young child, a young man in college, and an adult as well as his observations of a young boy on a city bus, and recognizing much of himself. It moves effortlessly between time periods, and even includes one segment from the perspective of his mother.
He very clearly is not trying to idealize himself, it comes off as brutally honest, even when it's not flattering.
I'm so glad I read this, and would definitely recommend!
Thanks to #bookishfirst and #houhgtonmifflinharcourt for an early copy of this!