Looking for eBooks or eAudiobooks? Don’t forget to check out the Palace Project!

Heavy: an American memoir
(Book)

Book Cover
Your Rating: 0 stars
Star rating for

Average user rating: 4.5 stars
User ratings:
5 star
 
(1)
4 star
 
(1)
3 star
 
(0)
2 star
 
(0)
1 star
 
(0)
Published:
New York : Scribner, 2019.
Format:
Book
Edition:
First Scribner trade paperback edition.
Physical Desc:
xiv, 241 pages ; 22 cm
Status:

Description

In Heavy, Laymon writes eloquently and honestly about growing up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence, to his suspension from college, to time in New York as a college professor, Laymon charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing, and ultimately gambling. Heavy is a “gorgeous, gutting…generous” (The New York Times) memoir that combines personal stories with piercing intellect to reflect both on the strife of American society and on Laymon’s experiences with abuse. By attempting to name secrets and lies he and his mother spent a lifetime avoiding, he asks us to confront the terrifying possibility that few in this nation actually know how to responsibly love, and even fewer want to live under the weight of actually becoming free.

Also in This Series

Copies

Location
Call Number
Status
Hamden/Whitneyville Adult Nonfiction
B/LAYMON
On Shelf
West Haven Main Adult Biography
B LAYMON [KIESE]
Billed

More Like This

Other Editions and Formats

More Details

Language:
English
ISBN:
9781501125669, 9781982130183

Notes

Description
In Heavy, Laymon writes eloquently and honestly about growing up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence, to his suspension from college, to time in New York as a college professor, Laymon charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing, and ultimately gambling. Heavy is a “gorgeous, gutting…generous” (The New York Times) memoir that combines personal stories with piercing intellect to reflect both on the strife of American society and on Laymon’s experiences with abuse. By attempting to name secrets and lies he and his mother spent a lifetime avoiding, he asks us to confront the terrifying possibility that few in this nation actually know how to responsibly love, and even fewer want to live under the weight of actually becoming free.

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Citations

APA Citation (style guide)

Laymon, K. (2019). Heavy: an American memoir. First Scribner trade paperback edition. Scribner.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Laymon, Kiese. 2019. Heavy: An American Memoir. Scribner.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Laymon, Kiese, Heavy: An American Memoir. Scribner, 2019.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Laymon, Kiese. Heavy: An American Memoir. First Scribner trade paperback edition. Scribner, 2019.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.

Staff View

Grouped Work ID:
d119e3bb-8166-f1ea-42da-fc9a1968e95b
Go To Grouped Work

Record Information

Last Sierra Extract TimeJun 30, 2025 06:32:43 AM
Last File Modification TimeJun 30, 2025 06:32:58 AM
Last Grouped Work Modification TimeJul 01, 2025 10:18:21 PM

MARC Record

LEADER02533cam a2200409 i 4500
003DLC
00520250210225447.0
008190710t20192018nyu           000 0aeng  
010 |a  2019299498
020 |a 9781501125669 |q (pbk.)
020 |a 9781982130183 |q (Barnes&Noble pbk.)
037 |b Simon & Schuster, Order Dept 100 Front st, Riverside, NJ, USA, 08075 |n SAN 200-2442
040 |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC |d DLC |d NjBwBT
043 |a n-us---
05000 |a PS3612.A959 |b Z46 2019
08200 |a 813/.6
08200 |a B |2 23
1001 |a Laymon, Kiese, |e author. |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2013019241
24510 |a Heavy : |b an American memoir / |c Kiese Laymon.
250 |a First Scribner trade paperback edition.
2641 |a New York : |b Scribner, |c 2019.
2644 |c ©2018
300 |a xiv, 241 pages ; |c 22 cm
336 |a text |b txt |2 rdacontent
337 |a unmediated |b n |2 rdamedia
338 |a volume |b nc |2 rdacarrier
520 |a In Heavy, Laymon writes eloquently and honestly about growing up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence, to his suspension from college, to time in New York as a college professor, Laymon charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing, and ultimately gambling. Heavy is a “gorgeous, gutting…generous” (The New York Times) memoir that combines personal stories with piercing intellect to reflect both on the strife of American society and on Laymon’s experiences with abuse. By attempting to name secrets and lies he and his mother spent a lifetime avoiding, he asks us to confront the terrifying possibility that few in this nation actually know how to responsibly love, and even fewer want to live under the weight of actually becoming free.
60010 |a Laymon, Kiese. |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2013019241
60010 |a Laymon, Kiese |x Family.
6500 |a African American authors |y 21st century |v Biography.
6500 |a Compulsive gamblers |z United States |v Biography.
6500 |a Eating disorders |x Patients |z United States |v Biography.
6500 |a Mother and child |z United States. |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2010102416
907 |a .b2648383x
945 |y .i64465731 |i 31200080983959 |l hwan |s - |h  |u 2 |x 0 |w 0 |v 1 |t 2 |z 08-14-20 |r - |o - |a B/LAYMON
945 |y .i64503884 |i 31251004282085 |l wmab |s n |h 03-31-25 |u 5 |x 0 |w 1 |v 3 |t 167 |z 08-25-20 |r - |o - |a B LAYMON [KIESE]
998 |e - |d a  |f eng |a hw |a wm