TW: child abuse, domestic violence, drug addiction, alcoholism, racism, racial slurs, homophobia, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, bullying
In his memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods, Brian Broome takes us through a disjointed, nonlinear trip through his life. He recounts the kids who used to hurl racist and homophobic abuse at him as a kid, his constant striving for his parents’ love and affection, and his tumultuous adulthood filled with drugs, sex, and alcohol.
All of these stories seem to come back to the same message: society is failing our Black boys. White people force them to grow up too soon, Black culture forces them into rigid, outdated and harmful roles, and the world expects too much out of them.
A lot of Broome’s memories are painful and hard to read, but also so important. The intersectionality of Black queerness is often ignored.
Thanks to BookishFirst and HMH for this ARC!
In his memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods, Brian Broome takes us through a disjointed, nonlinear trip through his life. He recounts the kids who used to hurl racist and homophobic abuse at him as a kid, his constant striving for his parents’ love and affection, and his tumultuous adulthood filled with drugs, sex, and alcohol.
All of these stories seem to come back to the same message: society is failing our Black boys. White people force them to grow up too soon, Black culture forces them into rigid, outdated and harmful roles, and the world expects too much out of them.
A lot of Broome’s memories are painful and hard to read, but also so important. The intersectionality of Black queerness is often ignored.
Thanks to BookishFirst and HMH for this ARC!