A review by booksaremypeople
How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays by Kiese Laymon

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.