On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
by Ocean Vuong · 2019
Buy on AmazonOn Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity.…
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"A debut novel about people caught between disparate worlds and the redemptive power of storytelling."
Misty Copeland's Book Recommendations · penguinrandomhouse.com
"Can't wait for Ocean Vuong's first novel, "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.""
By the Book: Eve Ensler · nytimes.com
"I'll say give "The Catcher in the Rye" a rest and go for Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.""
By the Book: Frances Mayes · nytimes.com