krissy_reads's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
girlgeekcyclist's review
3.0
A bleak book about a young, Black man trying to find his place in the world. For me it was sometimes a bit hard to follow as there were times when he is jumping back and forth in time in the same paragraph. Someone described this book as hilarious? I can't help feeling I didn't read the same thing. I can see why it's reviewed well but it wasn't really for me.
chazaloo's review against another edition
4.0
Brian Broome eloquently describes the challenges of growing up gay and black in a culture in which, in his telling, anyway, the men are homophobic and macho and need to dominate the women they are in relationship with. His pain is so well articulated, and his understanding of the behavior of the men in his life is deep. And yet, he also manages to have enough objectivity to find humor in some of the situations he finds himself in. For his bravery, humor, clarity, and ability to survive, I gave four stars. But one thing almost made me knock it down to three: I wish he gave some perspective from where he is now. The book seems to only go up to when he is a cocaine and alcohol addicted young man who has compulsive, unsatisfying sexual encounters. How did he make it out of the world he describes? How did he get clean and become a writer? I feel that the book was incomplete in this way, and would have been deepened by connecting his past with how he escaped it and became the insightful writer he is today.
And I have one beef with the audiobook production: There is a long introduction, the author of which is never identified! Other than that, the author's reading of the book is excellent.
And I have one beef with the audiobook production: There is a long introduction, the author of which is never identified! Other than that, the author's reading of the book is excellent.
jfbfsf's review
4.0
My biggest takeaway from this powerful, raw, incredibly poignant story was how much the author hated himself growing up. Throughout his childhood (and young adulthood) it was beat into him - literally and metaphorically - that how and who he was was an abomination. Something no self respecting person should be, something no one else would want to be or be around.
Reading that HURT.
For him to be able to lay it out so brutally honestly on the page was amazing. Being able to come to terms with that, and find a way to a place of peace, self respect, and love, is herculean. But I felt like the memoir didn't really touch on how he got from there to here; it mostly focused on those early, painful days, acknowledging his difficult childhood, and his years of addiction.
There are moments of the story that are funny - teenage Brian going to a dance club and showing off moves, young adult Brian going to his first pride parade, trying out gay bars, trying to fit in and meet people - but underlying it all is the overwhelming sadness of a young boy who doesn't love himself, and doesn't feel loved by anyone around him.
Because of that, at times this was difficult for me to read, and I hesitated to pick it up after a break. But it was beautifully written, with such clarity that it almost felt plainspoken at times, and the author's ability to look critically without anger at such difficult experiences was stunning.
Reading that HURT.
For him to be able to lay it out so brutally honestly on the page was amazing. Being able to come to terms with that, and find a way to a place of peace, self respect, and love, is herculean. But I felt like the memoir didn't really touch on how he got from there to here; it mostly focused on those early, painful days, acknowledging his difficult childhood, and his years of addiction.
There are moments of the story that are funny - teenage Brian going to a dance club and showing off moves, young adult Brian going to his first pride parade, trying out gay bars, trying to fit in and meet people - but underlying it all is the overwhelming sadness of a young boy who doesn't love himself, and doesn't feel loved by anyone around him.
Because of that, at times this was difficult for me to read, and I hesitated to pick it up after a break. But it was beautifully written, with such clarity that it almost felt plainspoken at times, and the author's ability to look critically without anger at such difficult experiences was stunning.