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AUTHOR: Kiese Laymon
Kiese Laymon
   


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REVIEWS: Heavy
     
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Named a Best Book of 2018 by the New York Times. In this powerful and provocative memoir, genre-bending essayist and novelist Kiese Laymon explores what the weight of a lifetime of secrets, lies, and deception does to a black body, a black family, and a nation teetering on the brink of moral collapse. 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. 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.

Characters: 77. Amazon rating: 5 stars. Genre: Memoir/Non-Fiction.


 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: General


   
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    ListenReal Love by Mary J. Blige.
   
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