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PRAISE

★ “Jackson reclaims his history through an elegant memoir…one of rigorous self-examination, approaching his personal story with honesty and poetry…The result is an intimate portrayal of what makes us human…as much about a writer struggling to understand life’s jubilations, mistakes, and losses, as it is a chronicle of a black man’s place in America, appealing to fans of Kiese Laymon and Ta-Nehisi Coates.”
—Library Journal, STARRED review

★ “A potent book that revels in the author’s truthful experiences while maintaining the jagged-grain, keeping-it-a-100, natural storytelling that made The Residue Years a modern must-read.”
—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review

★ “Stunning…Jackson plays out his life’s ‘revision’ against a backdrop of self- and social critique. Thanks to Jackson’s fresh voice, this powerful autobiography shines an important light on the generational problems of America’s oft-forgotten urban communities.”
—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

★ “Product-of-my-environment stories are common; beyond his candid self-portrayal as a willing-but-reluctant participant, what makes Jackson’s take on this theme so compelling is his inquisitive and unflinching investigation of the conditions that shaped him.”
—Booklist, STARRED review

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