by Kiese Laymon
First published 2018
Kiese Laymon grapples with his own body - the physical manifestations of violence, grief, and abuse etched into his flesh. Through raw, honest conversations with family and friends, he reckons with the intimate wounds of his mother-son relationship and the universal devaluation of Black bodies in America. As Laymon confronts his eating disorder and gambling addiction, he seeks to bring the hidden truths of his life into the light, reaching for a hard-won redemption.
Genres: african-american, autobiography, contemporary, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, raw, thought-provoking
Tropes: reckoning, redemption
Setting: United States
241 pages · Hardcover · Scribner
Content warnings: abuse, addiction, eating-disorder, mental-illness