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A review by tasleemreads
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Powerful, vulnerable, gripping and painfully honest are the words that come to mind whenever I begin to describe this book.
#Heavy by #KieseLaymon is a memoir written as a letter to his mother. Laymon talks about race, sexuality, abuse, relationship, education, weight, body and so much more. This book is very personal, I was reading memories and stories that I shouldn't have access to. The title of the book is very fitting for the contents, it is a Heavy book with heavy themes and realities. The rawness and authenticity of this book were surprising and I hope it was healing for Laymon.
A few of the many passages that stuck out to me:
✨ "I don't remember hurting you as much as you remember being hurt, Kie. I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm just saying I don't remember everything the way you do."
✨ Men were trained to harm women in ways women could never harm men, parents were trained to harm children in ways children would never harm parents.
✨ America seems filled with violent people who like causing people pain but hate when those people tell them that pain hurts.
✨ I really needed to think about the difference between loving someone and loving how someone made you feel.
✨ I will wonder if the memories that remain with age are heavier than the ones we forget because they mean more to us, or if our bodies, like our nation, eventually purge memories we never wanted to be true.
#Heavy by #KieseLaymon is a memoir written as a letter to his mother. Laymon talks about race, sexuality, abuse, relationship, education, weight, body and so much more. This book is very personal, I was reading memories and stories that I shouldn't have access to. The title of the book is very fitting for the contents, it is a Heavy book with heavy themes and realities. The rawness and authenticity of this book were surprising and I hope it was healing for Laymon.
A few of the many passages that stuck out to me:
✨ "I don't remember hurting you as much as you remember being hurt, Kie. I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm just saying I don't remember everything the way you do."
✨ Men were trained to harm women in ways women could never harm men, parents were trained to harm children in ways children would never harm parents.
✨ America seems filled with violent people who like causing people pain but hate when those people tell them that pain hurts.
✨ I really needed to think about the difference between loving someone and loving how someone made you feel.
✨ I will wonder if the memories that remain with age are heavier than the ones we forget because they mean more to us, or if our bodies, like our nation, eventually purge memories we never wanted to be true.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Rape