I found this book to be interesting, especially in the current climate we live in. Mr. Broome gave insight it what it’s like to grow up as a black man - the struggles and the expectations. I’m happy with how the book ended and it seems like the narrator got some clarity on who he is, even though he didn’t meet his father’s lofty expectations.

One of the things I love the most about memoir is the emotions they can inspire. Brian Bloom has created a wonderful emotional look at his life.
Write this title down, its going to be a number best selling memoir. He's so honest, so raw and so open with us as readers. Its as if we are right there with him as he takes us through his stories. You can't help but feel so much for him!

Thank you so much to the publisher and #Netgalley for the ARC

It's really hard for me to get into a memoir. There are very few such books that will keep me interested to the end. This book is one of them. I couldn't put this book down. I really like the way Brian Broome writes and each word just holds so much emotion. I definitely did not want to put this book down.

Even though I'd never heard of author Brian Broome before, I was immediately drawn in by the book's cover and intriguing title. The contrast of a sweet smiling boy and these ferocious words swarming his face told me I was in for an intense read.

"Punch Me Up to the Gods" was an immersive experience, so vivid and descriptive that I could see Broome's youth perfectly in my mind's eye. The story is strongest when he switches back-and-forth between watershed moments in his life - one moment he's a child being verbally assaulted on the side of a rural road by a sinister, racist stranger before the narration switches seamlessly to a similar terrifying confrontation as a young man. Throughout the book, the author creates these scenes where tension builds steadily until you're holding your breath in fear and anticipation. We reach a satisfying and emotional conclusion as Broome writes from a distant beach, half the world away, able to reflect on his traumatic youth in the hope that we can create a more empathetic world without the crushing weight of toxic masculinity.

If you loved Saeed Jones' "How We FIght for Our Lives" or Carmen Maria Machado's "In the Dream House," you'll be similarly affected by "Punch Me Up to the Gods."

Brian Broome holds nothing back in this brutally honest and heartfelt memoir. His story pulls you into what can only be described as a difficult coming of age experience as he grapples with being a gay black man who has never truly felt that he belonged anywhere. Coming from a childhood fraught with extreme poverty and staggering abuse, Brian flees his hometown in search of true acceptance, only to struggle with addiction and a series of desperate attempts at connection that leave him feeling unfulfilled and pathetic. Through it all, you'll be surprised by his grit and perseverance.

The writing was incredible, although I was left with questions about certain relationships (siblings, mother, etc.). Each chapter reads almost like an individual essay, even though they are all woven together in the end. There is one chapter told from the POV of Brian's mother that left me wanting to know more of her story. The book shared some common themes with Augusten Burrough's Running With Scissors and John Boyne's Heart's Invisible Furies, which were both books that I loved.

Trigger warning - themes of poverty, homelessness, abuse, sexual abuse, homophobia and drug use

*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

available 5/18/2021

A frank, heartfelt book about growing up. I really liked that he chose to do interconnected essays because then you weren't expecting narrative flow. I wish more memoirs did this! It was funny and heartwrenching at the same time.

{DNF}
There are too many books on my Netgalley shelf and I did not have time to write a proper review

*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

3.5 stars. This book is a wonderful deconstruction of masculinity and trauma, particularly that faced by Black men and boys. Broome’s discusses his own upbringing, which was heavily impacted by his father’s opinion of what it means to be a man and how he, being a feminine gay man, is constantly fed the message that he is not enough and that something is wrong with him. Broome seems to assert that these ideas formed at home, but were enforced further when he went to school by what other Black boys and men expected him to be.

There are themes of drug use, suicidality, homophobia, physical and sexual abuse. There are letters to a young Black boy that he Broome sees on the bus woven through the narrative of his own life story, that serve as a kind of reflection on what he’s learned. I feel that this narrative was particularly strong and tied the memoir together.

It is a heavy read, and Broome is very good at evoking emotion in his writing. I do however feel that there seemed to be a lot of unanswered questions and loose ends. This particularly bothered me when it came to Broome’s drug addiction, as his treatment or decision to get sober is never discussed, it is just made clear that in the future he is writing from, he is sober. He mentions his visits to rehab in passing, but never how he got there. His siblings are also a part of the narrative that isn’t really explored, and while I understand that this book is about Brian’s life, it would have painted a clearer picture of the family had his siblings been in more of his stories.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this read but felt it left things to be desired.

There's a literary gut punch around every page in this book. Broome is frank when it comes to his experiences with racism and colorism, with homophobia, and with physical and emotional abuse. He doesn't shy away from all of the nasty ways all manner of people excluded and abused and humiliated him. His father beat him for various minor offenses. His black peers bullied him mercilessly for not fitting in. His white peers only ever used him for entertainment. He had a tough life, but he survived to tell it.

And in telling it, Broome's created a great narrative work. He's a fantastic, sharp writer. The main theme of wanting love from other people without conforming to their expectations is present throughout. There's also this recurring intermission, broken up throughout the book, called "The Initiation of Tuan." It's about a little boy that Broome sees on the bus who's on the cusp of learning what's going to be expected of him as a black boy. I always looked forward to returning to these parts; they kept the pace of the book swift and engaging. It could be argued that the last part was overly sentimental, but... I appreciated it.

This is a book for outsiders, for anyone who's been othered or abused for being themselves, but I think everyone should read it.

Brian Brooke proves to be a literary force with his memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods. Brian’s path was surrounded by raw emotion and the challenges of growing up poor, black and gay in a small Ohio town. The loneliness of being different, the heart wrenching despair of not being accepted by his family was palpable. Every human emotion is laid bare. There are moments of joy, humor and unimaginable sadness. Above all else Mr. Broome is brutally honest and his journey awarded him ways to sharpen his coping mechanisms and find light, grace, hope and endless wisdom. His voice rings true, not only for himself but for so many of us that struggle with the acceptance, understanding and value in all of us.
I highly recommend this read and thank NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Brian Broome for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

Wow! This memoir by Brian Broome is a lyrical, beautiful punch in the gut. I am absolutely enchanted by the way Broome uses two narratives here. First, he discusses his own experience as a gay Black man growing up in small town Ohio in vignettes. Second, he watches a young Black boy and his father interact and extrapolates his experience to the greater issues of racism, homophobia, and toxic masculinity. Brilliant.

Whew. This book was intense and raw. The loneliness and despair was palpable. I liked how it was interwoven with Tuan on the bus. I will definitely read more from this author.

2021 is definitely turning into the year of biographies and memoirs for me and this book I will definitely remember for years to come, I think I may purchase it at publishing, it struck my heart so much. Broome grows up poor, Black and gay during a time when being a Black man is tough enough, let alone being a homosexual. This book is so gut wrenchingly honest, his family had a time accepting him. He is still a son and a brother. A little bit of love and understanding would have been so helpful to Broome in his youth. Shame on his family, in my opinion.

I cannot say enough how this book touched all my emotions. I wanted to give nothing but love, acceptance and empathy for his journey and struggles. I truly enjoyed this memoir and I know it will be a re-read and a favorite. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Brian Broome and Houghton Miller Harcourt for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/18/21

This moving literary memoir shows Brian Broome coming of age in small town Ohio while Black, gay, and poor. The memoir takes the form of essays, connected by scenes from a bus ride where Broome encounters strangers who remind him of different points in his life. It's beautifully written, poignant, and an excellent introduction to Broome's voice. He recounts painful traumas and dangerous coping mechanisms with grace and wisdom, all while also finding room for hope for future generations. I hope to read much more from Broome in the future.

"Punch Me Up to the Gods," a memoir by Brian Broome, details the course of his life as an adolescent who was teased about and punished from his sexuality into his adult years as a gay man living outside of the small town where he was raised. The book is split up into parts, which begin with Broome's thoughts and analysis of a father/son interaction he witnesses on a bus and how this relates to his own experiences. The writing is beautiful and poetics and makes you experience joy, sadness, laughter, and empathy for the experiences of LGBT people growing up in small town America. Broome also reflects on the dual nature of being both Black and gay, the presence and persistence of white supremacy, and the constant force and threat of misogyny in his childhood home and throughout society. I am confident that this will be one of the best memoirs I read all year.

This book had me going through a variety of emotions. Anger, sadness, laughter, etc. very straight with no chaser account of the author’s journey of being gay and Black in a time that this was not accepted, especially in the Black family. I also enjoyed the chapters about atuan and how he tied them into his history. Mr. Brian, I thank you for allowing me the chance to live your story via your words. Blessings unto you in this thing we call Life. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.