{"product_id":"heavy-kiese-laymon-9781501125652","title":"Heavy: An American Memoir","description":"\u003cb\u003e*Named a Best Book of 2018 by \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly, \u003c\/i\u003eNPR, \u003ci\u003eBroadly\u003c\/i\u003e, Buzzfeed (Nonfiction), The Undefeated, \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal \u003c\/i\u003e(Biography\/Memoirs), \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post \u003c\/i\u003e(Nonfiction), \u003ci\u003eSouthern Living \u003c\/i\u003e(Southern), \u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Critics\u003c\/i\u003e*\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e*WINNER of the Andrew Carnegie Medal and FINALIST for the Kirkus Prize *\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKiese 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eHeavy\u003c\/i\u003e, 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A personal narrative that illuminates national failures, \u003ci\u003eHeavy \u003c\/i\u003eis 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Kiese Laymon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1501125656\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781501125652\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Scribner Book Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/16\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 256\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.75lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.70w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAward:\u003c\/b\u003e Kirkus Prize - Finalist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2018 pg. 83\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews Fall Preview\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/15\/2018 pg. 33\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2018 pg. 63\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/27\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2018 pg. 28","brand":"Kiese Laymon","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44054963060991,"sku":"9781501125652","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b9edf5dc-0c2a-498c-866a-3cffbc90f88f.jpg?v=1685032994","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/heavy-kiese-laymon-9781501125652","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}