Today I’m sharing my review of Here for it: or how to save your soul in America by R. Eric Thomas. This is a book of essays that had me laughing out loud. I picked this one up because I am trying to diversify my reading by reading more books from Black and LGBTQ authors. It is Pride month so I wanted to include more LGBTQ authors in the books I read this month. I also want to do this all year long. Yesterday I shared some books by LGBTQ authors that I recommend on my Instagram page.
Synopsis
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.
Why Did I choose to read this book?
I have been thinking lately about how I decide to read the books I read. I am trying to be more intentional with the books I choose to read so I am adding this section to all my reviews going forward.
This month I wanted to include some books written by LGBTQ authors in my reading. I received this book from the publisher (Thank you Random House for the gifted book!) and had it sitting on my self waiting for me to read it. Two things that made this book stand out in my shelves: 1) The cover is gorgeous, it just makes me happy and 2) The blurb from Lin Manuel Miranda.
Rating
This is a non-fiction book so I am using my non-fiction rating system (Read NOW, Read or Did not resonate with me). I rate this book Read.
My Thoughts
I didn’t know who R. Eric Thomas was before I picked up this book. I had heard he wrote a column for Elle but hadn’t read his work or knew much about him. This book addresses some heavier topics with humor and overall I really enjoyed it.
Some of the topics covered in the book include: marginalization, self acceptance, and how to fit in. As with any collection of essays some essays are better than others. I felt like some of the essays ended abruptly and I wish he went deeper into some topics. However, some were really good and I’d go back to read them at some point.
I listened to this one in audio and I recommend that format. I am trying to focus on non-fiction in audio in order to incorporate more of the genre into my reading. The author narrates the audio book and it is hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times as I was listening.
Who I recommend this book to
If you enjoy short essays with humor and enjoy pop culture references this is for you!
Did I convince you to pick up this book? Get your copy from bookshop.org here. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.
