Punch Me Up To The Gods: A Memoir - A Raw Coming-of-Age Story of Black Boyhood and Queer Identity

ISBN: 0358695252

Author: Broome, Brian

Condition: New

WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER OF A LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' PICK STONEWALL HONOR BOOK NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, KIRKUS REVIEWS, LIBRARY JOURNAL, AMAZON AND APPLE BOOKS TODAY SUMMER READING LIST PICK ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY BEST DEBUT OF SUMMER PICK PEOPLE BEST BOOK OF SUMMER PICKA raw, poetic, coming-of-age masterwork (The New York Times)Punch Me Up to the Gods introduces a powerful new talent in Brian Broome, whose early years growing up in Ohio as a dark-skinned Black boy harboring crushes on other boys propel forward this gorgeous, aching, and unforgettable debut. Brians recounting of his experiences-in all their cringe-worthy, hilarious, and heartbreaking glory-reveal a perpetual outsider awkwardly squirming to find his way in. Indiscriminate sex and escalating drug use help to soothe his hurt, young psyche, usually to uproarious and devastating effect. A no-nonsense mother and broken father play crucial roles in our misfits origin story. But it is Brians voice in the retelling that shows the true depth of vulnerability for young Black boys that is often quietly near to bursting at the seams.Cleverly framed around Gwendolyn Brookss poem We Real Cool, the iconic and loving ode to Black boyhood, Punch Me Up to the Gods is at once playful, poignant, and wholly original. Broomes writing brims with swagger and sensitivity, bringing an exquisite and fresh voice to ongoing cultural conversations about Blackness in America.