WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK ANEW YORK TIMESEDITORS' PICK NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, KIRKUS REVIEWS, LIBRARY JOURNAL, AMAZON AND APPLE BOOKS ATODAYSUMMER READING LIST PICK ANENTERTAINMENT WEEKLYBEST DEBUT OF SUMMER PICK APEOPLEBEST BOOK OF SUMMER PICKA raw, poetic, coming-of-age masterwork (The New York Times) about Blackness, masculinity and addiction Punch Me Up to the Gods obliterates what we thought were the limitations of not just the American memoir, but the possibilities of the American paragraph. Im not sure a book has ever had me sobbing, punching the air, dying of laughter, and needing to write as much as Brian Broomes staggering debut. This sh*t is special.Kiese Laymon, New York Times bestselling author ofHeavy Punch Me Up to the Gods is some of the finest writing I have ever encountered and one of the most electrifying, powerful, simply spectacular memoirs Ior youhave ever read. And you will read it; you must read it. It contains everything we all crave so deeply: truth, soul, brilliance, grace. It is a masterpiece of a memoir and Brian Broome should win the Pulitzer Prize for writing it. I am in absolute awe and you will be, too.Augusten Burroughs, New York Times bestselling author of Running with ScissorsPunch Me Up to the Gods introduces a powerful new talent in Brian Broome, whose early years growing up in Ohio as a dark-skinnedBlack boy harboring crushes on other boys propel forward this gorgeous, aching, and unforgettable debut. Brians recounting of his experiencesin all their cringe-worthy, hilarious, and heartbreaking gloryreveal 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.
