Heavy
Laymon, Kiese
Genre:
Kiese Laymon is a fearless writer. In his essays
personal stories combine with piercing intellect to reflect both on the state of American society and on his experiences with abuse
which conjure conflicted feelings of shame
joy
confusion and humiliation. Laymon invites us to consider the consequences of growing up in a nation wholly obsessed with progress yet wholly disinterested in the messy work of reckoning with where we’ve been. In "Heavy
" Laymon writes eloquently and honestly about growing up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson
Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence
to his suspension from college
to his trek to New York as a young college professor
Laymon charts his complex relationship with his mother
grandmother
anorexia
obesity
sex
writing
and ultimately gambling. By attempting to name secrets and lies he and his mother spent a lifetime avoiding
Laymon asks himself
his mother
his nation
and us to confront the terrifying possibility that few in this nation actually know how to responsibly love
and even fewer want to live under the weight of actually becoming free. A personal narrative that illuminates national failures
"Heavy" is defiant yet vulnerable
an insightful
often comical exploration of weight
identity
art
friendship
and family that begins with a confusing childhood—and continues through twenty-five years of haunting implosions and long reverberations.
Target Readership: