Reviews with content warning for Death - Don't Cry for Me: A Novel

“Live your life freely, Isaac. Rise above our history and be your unapologetic self.”

What a roller coaster of emotions! This book has all the feels. I don’t know how many time I had to put this book down because of the sole fact that I related so much with the son and how he was treated by his father. The amount of hardships and struggles Jacob went through not just as a man but as a Black man struggling in a world that was already made hard for him by history but to have a gay son as well.

Many of the words Jacob said to Isaac my own father/mother has said to me. I don’t know if it’s a Southern thing but the fact that many of the gay men, or supposed gay men, in this story were called “funny,” only cemented how ignorant some people can be. Upon my own liberation from the closet, my mother asked me if I was funny… and it was the single most hardest silence I’ve ever felt. But for her to dismiss my answer only hurt more. My own father didn’t speak to me for 2 weeks. But now, nearly 10 years later, I’m married, my family has an amazing relationship with me and my husband. But still I would recommend this to any parent struggling with their kid’s sexuality.

This book Daniel Black has brought forth to the world had me in a whirlwind of tears and laughter and anger. In the particular scene of a friend suffering from AIDS comes to visit Isaac but Jacob stops to inform him that his son had moved away. I ugly cried for 20 minutes. The fact that Jacob was disgusted by how the young man looked, with sores and emaciated look to him. Jacob’s only thought was that his son would never sink that low to get the “gay disease.”

This book is possibly my favorite book I’ve read all year and I will recommend it to anyone. Just make sure you have tissues. In fact, make it a crying towel. There’s a lot of tears to be shed.

Content Warnings

johnbat's review

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emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

lea's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

danileah07's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

2.0

Content Warnings

hanreadin's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

treberry's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“It’s funny what you remember in old age. Memories reveal who you used to be, what you once thought important, what regrets you cannot shake.”

⠀

DCFM is an emotional, reflective story told through a series of letters wrote from a dying man to his estranged son. Dying alone, Jacob uses all of his strength to express his story, his history, his regrets, his shame to give his son insight into the reasons behind his actions.

⠀

This book both captured my heart and broke my heart at the same time! There was so much relatable, in-your-face honesty.

⠀

The emphasis on regret, loss, pride and hurt gnawed at my soul. But as somber as it was, it was everything I needed. The biggest takeaway I found was making amends, living with regret, how our words and actions, spoken and unspoken, effects our relationships with others.

⠀

My heart ached for Isaac and the turmoil he must’ve endured. My heart bled for Jacob and his foolish pride - for putting conditions on his love. He had so many shoulda, woulda, couldas, but was much too prideful to act on his true feelings because it wasn’t the “manly” thing to do.

⠀

I was triggered early on and felt I just wouldn’t be able to continue reading, but I picked this book right back up and didn’t put it down again until I was done. I was stuck reading for hours & hours!

⠀

It would’ve been interesting to see

how the letters were received, but that’s what happens when apologies come a day late and a dollar short … you never know.

⠀

Reading this book made me see how necessary it is to give our children freedom to make their own choices. It allowed me to give grace to my parents for the things I wished they’d done differently when raising me. They did what they knew, the best they could.

⠀

I doubt you can finish this book without having your principles shaken and stirred, and reflecting on relationships, choices, hopes, and expectations. It shows how the bonds we cultivate are truly matters in life.

⠀

The writing was excellent, flowed as smooth as honey, and consumed my full attention. I’d place this book smack dab in the middle of The Kite Runner and Razorblade Tears. I can already predict this to be one of my top 3 reads this year! 👏🏾

Content Warnings

jazhandz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Content Warnings

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