Photo from Penguin Random House
Publisher’s Description for Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America; Essays:
From the creator of Elle 's "Eric Reads the News," a poignant and hilarious memoir-in-essays about growing up seeing the world differently, finding his joy, and every awkward, extraordinary stumble along the way. R. Eric Thomas didn't know he was different until the world told him so. Everywhere he went—whether it was his rich, mostly white, suburban high school, his conservative black church, or his Ivy League college in a big city—he found himself on the outside looking in.
In essays by turns hysterical and heartfelt, Eric redefines what it means to be an "other" through the lens of his own life experience. He explores the two worlds of his childhood: the barren urban landscape where his parents' house was an anomalous bright spot, and the verdant school they sent him to in white suburbia. He writes about struggling to reconcile his Christian identity with his sexuality, about the exhaustion of code-switching in college, accidentally getting famous on the internet (for the wrong reason), and the surreal experience of covering the 2016 election as well as the seismic change that came thereafter. Ultimately, Eric seeks the answer to the ever more relevant question: Is the future worth it? Why do we bother when everything seems to be getting worse? As the world continues to shift in unpredictable ways, Eric finds the answers to these questions by re-envisioning what "normal" means, and in the powerful alchemy that occurs when you at last place yourself at the center of your own story.
*****
I first encountered R. Eric Thomas because of this viral Facebook post:
OUT HERE LOOKING LIKE DESTINY’S DILF.
I went on to enjoy his work at Elle, and so when I saw his memoir on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read and review. I was not disappointed. I don’t think I have ever laughed out loud so much while reading a book. Of course this was going to be funny. But it was also whip-smart, honest, poignant, and didn’t shy away from some tough topics. It’s utterly enjoyable yet thought-provoking. Whatever your background or your reality, I’d bet most of us will find something to relate to in this memoir of finding your place when you feel like an outsider. There is an inherent connection offered in these pages through the experience of finding out who we are and where we belong. Come for the laughs, stay for the honesty. This feels like a conversation with a friend—or someone you want to be your friend. Absolutely recommend.
Thank you, NetGalley & Penguin Random House, for the ARC!