Amateur

A sweet, tender hurt of a memoir . . . McBee shows us what it takes to become a man who is gloriously, gloriously alive -- ROXANE GAY, author of Bad Feminist Like sitting with someone uncurling his hands, then holding them out to you, open, so that you can behold all the hard-won strength, insight, agility, and love to be found there -- MAGGIE NELSON, author of The Argonauts Empathy is McBee's objective, the most important part of becoming real in one's own eyes . . . we are born human; with hard work, we achieve humanity * * New York Times * * A vitally important book. McBee's story harnesses the power of self-inquiry, of generosity, of a transformation powerful enough to address even the fallout from child abuse * * Los Angeles Review of Books * * By turns despairing and hopeful, exceptional and relatable. To read it is to witness the birth of a fuller, truer self -- ANN PATCHETT McBee's beautifully written story is engrossing and brave, and rings with triumph * * Buzzfeed * * A brilliant work of art. I bow down to McBee - his humility, his sense of humour, his insightfulness, his structural deftness, his ability to put into words what is often said but rarely, with such visceral clarity and beauty, communicated -- HEIDI JULAVITS, author of The Vanishers A story about patience, forgiveness, kindness and bravery . . . With this book, Thomas Page McBee has done exactly what we should all strive for: to tell our stories in ways that humanise rather than sensationalise -- LAUREN MORELLI, writer, Orange Is the New Black Well aware that memory and identity rarely follow a linear path, Thomas Page McBee attempts to answer the question, What does it really mean to be a man? Weaving past and present to do so, the book's journey connects violence, masculinity and forgiveness. McBee has an intelligent heart, and it beats in every sentence of this gorgeous book -- SAEED JONES, author of Prelude to Bruise Exquisitely written and bristling with emotion, this important book reminds us of how much vulnerability and violence inheres to any identity. A real achievement of form and narrative -- JACK HALBERSTAM, author of The Queer Art of Failure