Finished Heavy moments ago. I heard Kiese Laymon on NPR, and the second I heard he was from Mississippi, I pulled over and ordered, not only Heavy, but all of his books. I am so glad I was listening to NPR last week because I NEEDED this book in my life. As a Mississippian who left after college but whose family (including mom) still treads water in the state, this book gave voice to the pain, the struggles, the cycles of violence and desperation and waning hopelessness that influence just about every decision made by people in Mississippi. Many times I have been asked to describe the psychology of Mississippi and its people, but I could never explain it. Mr. Laymon captures that psychology and he paints literary pictures that are so real and so emotional that many times I had to take a break and remind myself to breathe because this book takes your breath away.
The way in which he wrote this book to his mother, and started from his early childhood forward, created a crescendo of emotions. My heart rate increased as I moved along his life, and I kept thinking, "Oh no, something terrible will happen." Only to get to the end and realize the "something terrible" was the metamorphosis of the relationships between the characters -- Laymon and his mom, Laymon and his grandmother, Laymon and his body, which ingenuously is a prominent character of his memoir. There are so many layers to this memoir, and rarely do I read a book in two days only to sit down to read it again. Not only am I going to re-read this book, but I am going to have my husband, son and daughter read this book as they often ask about Mississippi and its influence on me as a woman, mom, etc.
Poignant, personal, heavy. Deals with issues that are not fun but that are too common in so many of our lives and Laymon recounts these serious events and experiences honestly and yet respectfully (positive there is a better way to describe it). Who would I recommend read this book? Moms, sons, daughters and dads, people who deal with body issues, broken people, hurt people, the people who love broken and hurt people, anyone who wants more insight into the sustaining impact of racism, oppression, and America's unwillingness to confront the past in truth and frankness. Outstanding book.
Heavy
4.6 | 3,565 ratings
Price: 13.12
Last update: 06-24-2024
Top reviews from the United States
Amelie
The heaviness of this memoir will cause your heart to race and you to forget to breathe.
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2018
Ann Marie Norrid
GUT PUNCH
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2022
Ann Marie Norrid
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2022
I listened to this book back in 2018 when it first came out and this time I read it so I could underline and highlight favorite parts. You can't go wrong with either option.
Kiese Laymon is just an incredible writer. He has this superhuman talent and strength that allows him to get to the innermost, squishy-vulnerable, unflattering, oftentimes-shameful parts of himself and others. Reading this again feels as raw and beautiful as it did 4 years ago.
I also know that this book wasn't written for me. As a white woman, I have immense privilege and I see (and read) everything through that lens. No matter what gender, race, orientation, etc that you identify with, this is an important and powerful book to read.
In this book he reckons with his family's demons when it comes to food, love, secrets, intellect, gambling, identity, and so much more. From the very first page he acknowledges that he wanted to write a lie that everyone would have loved, but he wrote this instead. This book is HONEST.
I wish I had more eloquent words to describe Heavy, but with a book like this, you just have to tell folks to read it and let the book speak for itself.
Images in this review
James R. Gilligan
His mirror. My window.
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2021