A review by emilykathleenwrites
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

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.