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Here for it by R. Eric Thomas
Genre: Non-Fiction | Humor || My Review Rating: ♥♥♥♥
Audiobook: 7 hours 35 mins | Printed: 288 Pages
Published: February 18, 2020 by Ballantine Books
Featured: Read With Jenna
Book Jacket 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.
For fans of Samantha Irby, Michael Arceneaux, and David Sedaris, Here for It will resonate deeply and joyfully with everyone who has ever felt pushed to the margins, struggled with self-acceptance, or wished to shine more brightly in a dark world. Stay here for it—the future may surprise you.
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Review & Thoughts
Initial Thoughts: Here for it is a Read With Jenna pick and I kept hearing great things. Finally chose to use an Audible credit and it was definitely worth it.
Themes, Elements & Review Notes: Important themes threaded throughout the novel presented with humor, compassion, and care. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to R. Eric Thomas present his novel. I absolutely love when non-fiction memoirs are read by the author themselves.
In a Nutshell: Overall entertaining novel worth the listen (or read). I loved that the audiobook was read by the author himself! Definitely worth the Audible credit.
Book Format & Source: Audiobook purchased on Audible
About R. Eric Thomas
R. Eric Thomas (he/him/his) is a playwright and a Senior Staff Writer for Elle.com where he writes “Eric Reads the News,” a daily current events and culture column. His writing has appeared in The New York Times multiple times as well as Man Repeller, Philadelphia Magazine, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is also the long-running host of The Moth StorySlam in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia and has appeared multiple times on The Moth Radio Hour. For his playwriting, Eric won the 2016 Barrymore Award for Best New Play and the 2018 Dramatists Guild Lanford Wilson Award; his work has been seen on stages around the country. HERE FOR IT is his first book. He lives in Baltimore with his extraordinary husband, Rev. David Norse Thomas, and their ever-growing collection of succulents. Find more at rericthomas.com
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