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lisawhelpley's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book to buy, re-read, highlight and sit back and THINK after reading. Seriously. Read it. It was a coincidence that I picked this up last night from my "to read" stack and finished it on MLK day. Kiese Laymon is a new author for me, but I'll be reading everything he writes now.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
This was absolutely riveting, necessary, stunning, poignant. Laymon takes no shortcuts talking about his grandfather, the times guns have been pulled on him, police violence, community trauma. Every word just gets me--it's a book that I checked out from the library, and now want nothing more than to own just so I can mark it up, reread it, remind myself of my place in society and how I can listen and help.
Blending personal experience with general societal narratives, he dissects and understands, and reworks so much of what we think we already know and understand. And he does it in a way that's just...incredible. Powerful. Necessary.
Review cross-listed here!
Blending personal experience with general societal narratives, he dissects and understands, and reworks so much of what we think we already know and understand. And he does it in a way that's just...incredible. Powerful. Necessary.
Review cross-listed here!
kjmoulton's review against another edition
5.0
Urgent, vivid, engrossing. The voice is important, this book is important. Read now.
literallymeggs's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
scinaps's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
marissasurber's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.5
booksaremypeople's review
5.0
Kiese Laymon, I believe, is one of the most important living American writers. This collection of thirteen essays is revised from his original collection in 2013 and includes six new and timely essays. Laymon candidly discusses the frustrating process of having to buy back the rights to his essay collection from the original publisher. Born and raised in Mississippi, Laymon writes about his connection to the state as well as his experiences living as a Black man in academia in the South. He looks at football, hop-hop, family relationships, and personal experiences through the lens of race, class, politics and Covid in America. His intelligence, humor and honesty shine through each essay. How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America should be required reading in this country and having only read Heavy, I am eager to read everything Laymon has ever written and I eagerly await his next publication. Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the advanced review copy of the book.