If there’s a 2018 book that I believe everyone in America should read, it’s Kiese Laymon’s memoir, Heavy. It’s a gorgeously written howl of truth, directly addressed to the brilliant and sometimes violent mother who raised Laymon in Jackson, Miss. He attributes his writerly practice to her rigorous expectations, but it exacts a toll on his soul and body. He continues her abuse – gorging and starving himself – all the while knowing that there is nothing he and his mother can inflict on his body that compares with what white people can do. But while the book is, yes, heavy, it’s also a powerhouse of creative language. So read it for all it contains: electric prose, an indictment of racism and its effects on black men and women, and a searing portrait of a difficult and brilliant family.
"If there’s a 2018 book that I believe everyone in America should read, it’s Kiese Laymon’s memoir, Heavy. It’s a gorgeously written howl of truth, directly addressed to the brilliant and sometimes violent mother who raised Laymon in Jackson, Miss. He attributes his writerly practice to her rigorous expectations, but it exacts a toll on his soul and body. He continues her abuse – gorging and starving himself – all the while knowing that there is nothing he and his mother can inflict on his body that compares with what white people can do. But while the book is, yes, heavy, it’s also a powerhouse of creative language. So read it for all it contains: electric prose, an indictment of racism and its effects on black men and women, and a searing portrait of a difficult and brilliant family."
"It's a tie between Heads of the Colored People and Heavy, by Kiese Laymon. They are both books of astounding insight, humor and language so sharp you may cut your fingers on the pages."
