Kiese Laymon

Juro para vocês que assim que terminei a última página, fechei o livro e dei um beijo na capa. Só performo esse ato em livros que realmente me tiraram o fôlego e esse aqui é uma baita obra em diversos sentidos.
Sempre fico meio assim assim com livro de memórias, nem de longe é um gênero de que seja fã, mas Pesado (Heavy) de Kiese Laymon é uma bomba jogada na sua cabeça (e acho que dá uma ótima double feature com o Fome da Roxane Gay).
Lidando sempre com o ferrenho racismo show more estadunidense, a mãe abusiva que ao mesmo tempo o incentivava a escrever e estudar, as constantes compulsões (seja por comida, perder peso ou jogos), tudo é alinhavado lindamente para tirarmos nossas próprias conclusões de todos os sintomas e as ações que os desencadearam, sem nunca o autor soar didático, mas já sendo com grande clareza.
Caralho, que porrada. Não me admira a grande Alice Walker ter indicado esse livro, não esperava menos dela. show less

This broke rules that I didn't even realize memoirs have. It was missing some of the narcissistic internalized gaze you always find - his mother was woven throughout it to the point where she seemed as developed as he did, but not as understood (by me, not by him). And he didn't tie his life up with a bow at the end, but left me on edge and concerned. I want to read everything he has written.

“Long Division” by Kiese Laymon is an original work of sparkling creativity. I recommend getting a print copy of the book so you can enjoy the story as it is intended. Part one of the book is printed as expected, but to read the second half of the book, the reader needs to flip it over and read from the end. So, both parts have the last physical page of the story located in the middle of the book. The very end of the book is in the middle. One of the great things about doing reviews in show more exchange for a book is getting books you would never choose for yourself. I’m a retired white guy who grew up in a northern state. This story is about a ninth-grader, young black man, “City” from Mississippi.

The adventure is a dreamy, mysterious, time-traveling account of a young man as he reckons with bigotry, self-discovery, sacrifice, and love. There is an intricate mystical ache to the story. Each character in the book fights for self-determination. They fight not just for survival but for the right to choose what and how they want to be. Somehow, all this must be achieved in a way that makes their friends, family, and community proud. So, they carry the expectations of their world upon their shoulders. I hesitate to describe the plot beyond the author's blurb because that seems almost sacrilegious.

A passage from the book that affected me is when LaVander Peeler “wins” the “Can You Use That Word in a Sentence National Competition”:

“The voice behind the light screamed, ‘LaVander Peeler, you have done the unbelievable! Times are a-changing and you, you exceptional young Mississippian, are a symbol of the American Progress. The past is the past and today can be tomorrow. LaVander Peeler, do you have anything to say? Would you like to thank your state, your governor, Jesus Christ, or your family for this blessing?’”

That passage touched me because it demonstrates how white people try to use black people as props to feel good and righteous about themselves. More than that is just how incredibly—insulting—how degrading those allegedly well-intentioned episodes are and how much it stings, hurts, and insults a human being's sensibilities and dignity. While such incongruous occurrences can just zip right by an ignorant white person unnoticed, such insincere, passive-aggressive forms of violence are horrors black peoples regularly endure.

The Mark Twain, Huckleberry-ish dialogue is brilliant and funny and is really what establishes this book as a literary work of art. Despite the hilarity, how City narrates his world views to readers is done so with a good deal of logic and wisdom. Kiese Laymon's writing shows him to be a master of the metaphorical simile:

“You think I’m crazy, right? Well, I know that you can’t travel through time with a girl and save folks from the Klan and not kiss them unless you’re slightly deformed or unless you smell like death. And even then, there’s still gonna be some serious grinding going on. Serious grinding.”

I cannot say I understood everything about “Long Division” but we are not supposed to. That in itself is part of the point of the story—no one ever figures everything out, right? By the time you are finished with the book, you will have an understanding of what it is like to be a young black man in 2013, 1985, and 1964.

Another partial theme of the book is how black people, especially the young, struggle in the world with just being who they are: “How do you get good at love when your family disappeared and every day it feels like you and your friends are getting written off the face of the earth?”

“Long Division” by Kiese Laymon is a curious, humorous, spiritual, creative, clever, mysterious work about personal sacrifices and love. It is a well-written coming-of-age story. Travel through time with City in this dreamscape—the story is beautifully conceived and brilliantly told. It’s a heart-touching tale you should not hesitate to read. I highly recommend “Long Division”—but get the print copy. I loved it, you will too. By: Kato’s Klub show less

This book was at times breathtakingly brilliant - I was so moved by Laymon's clear, wise and horrifically painful statements on the complex experience of being a young black boy raised by a brilliant and accomplished yet very abusive mother trying to live a life of dignity and love in a world that shames and traumatizes those who look like him. So in many ways this was a 5 star book.

However, the author presented his huge challenges - being obese and anorexic, sexually, mentally, show more emotionally and physically abused, addicted to gambling, etc without coming to a place of healing. His challenges are immense, yes, and he has an exceptionally clear understanding of who he is and the reasons for his numbing and self destructive behaviors - the book just stopped perhaps a bit soon and left the healing for another book or another chapter. show less