How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays

By Kiese Laymon

Book Overview

A New York Times Notable Book

A revised collection with thirteen essays, including six new to this edition and seven from the original edition, by the "star in the American literary firmament, with a voice that is courageous, honest, loving, and singularly beautiful" (NPR).

Brilliant and uncompromising, piercing and funny, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America is essential reading. This new edition of award-winning author Kiese Laymon's first work of nonfiction looks inward, drawing heavily on the author and his family's experiences, while simultaneously examining the world--Mississippi, the South, the United States--that has shaped their lives. With subjects that range from an interview with his mother to reflections on Ole Miss football, Outkast, and the labor of Black women, these thirteen insightful essays highlight Laymon's profound love of language and his artful rendering of experience, trumpeting why he is "simply one of the most talented writers in America" (New York magazine).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1982170824
• ISBN13: 9781982170820
• Release Date: November 2020
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

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I remember the first time I read Kiese's essay, "How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America." It had me in nine words. I don't recall being hooked that quickly with any other writings. His writing is visceral, astute, and uncompromisingly beautiful. He unabashedly rips himself open - exposing and unraveling both himself and the reader. He will take you on his journey, and leave you in haunting silence.