readwithcherry's review
5.0
This one always makes me cry.
I’ve never been an audio book listener, but it was just something about hearing Kiesi read his own words— him sharing his deepest,darkest secrets. Yes, it made me feel sad and often times hopeless, but it’s breathtaking. To be so brutally honest about the things that make us so vulnerable. Honestly, I’m at a loss.
Don’t read this book quickly, because you’ll miss something.
I’ve never been an audio book listener, but it was just something about hearing Kiesi read his own words— him sharing his deepest,darkest secrets. Yes, it made me feel sad and often times hopeless, but it’s breathtaking. To be so brutally honest about the things that make us so vulnerable. Honestly, I’m at a loss.
Don’t read this book quickly, because you’ll miss something.
abroadwell's review
4.0
Very moving...but ultimately it began to feel harder and harder to hear the author narrate this story. I had to stop about 2/3 of the way through.
chyreads29's review against another edition
5.0
Haven't been left speechless by a book in so long. Kiese is such a brilliant storyteller it makes me envious but also so grateful to bear witness. Wow. Just wow.
amandadglaze's review
4.0
I love listening to a memoirs, especially ones that are read by the author. Hearing their voice speak their words is often an intimate thing. Kiese bared his soul in this novel. It was powerful.
emilykathleenwrites's review
5.0
I will be thinking about this book for the rest of my life. Like the title says, the book is heavy in the subject matter. Laymon chronicles his experience with violence, sexual assault, racism, gambling addiction, and disordered eating. The story is compelling enough on its own, but the writing takes it to a different dimension. The whole book seems to have fallen out of him in one breath, but also the writing is so tight, there isn't a single word out of place or wasted. He uses the second person, addressing his mother, the central relationship in the story, BUT, and I could be totally wrong, he also seems to be addressing Balck people as a whole as well. He repeated several times how he is writing "to and for his people" so the "you" could also stand in for Black people. The story is entirely personal and also has a huge message. More than once I said out loud, "are you f*&ing kidding me!" when he dropped lines like this... “America seems filled with violent people who like causing people pain but hate when those people tell them that pain hurts.” He twists words and uses alliteration and repetition like a poet. I was challenged but never lost. I know this book wasn't written for me, but damn, I'm glad it exists. I just finished the audio and ordered a paper copy from my local indy today. Like the author says, “I learned you haven't read anything if you've only read something once or twice. Reading things more than twice was the reader version of revision.
lowercase_a's review
challenging
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
It made me see shrimp colors. It shaped things that i’d had in the back of my mind into words, and those words, into memory and hope. Heavy is a nuanced testment of love, loss, anger, grieve, addiction, body image, the importance of education an so much more.
Nothing about this memoir is straightfoward or simple. Kiese Laymon’s portrayal of white hegemony, power struggles, violence and generational legacy is analytical, sensite and sincere, a testimony and a manifesto demanding us to face the social order around us and our place in it.
Nothing about this memoir is straightfoward or simple. Kiese Laymon’s portrayal of white hegemony, power struggles, violence and generational legacy is analytical, sensite and sincere, a testimony and a manifesto demanding us to face the social order around us and our place in it.
7anooch's review
4.0
I’m not American, this book isn’t for me or about me. I still heard enough good things about me to get me to want to read it, and I’m glad I did. This is a very good heartfelt memoir.