Welcome to Litsy!

The premise of this book is so intriguing: a poet recalls his childhood spent with grandparents who kidnapped him as a child. The style and format was different—McCrae is a poet so the sentences are lyrical but the fact that he was a child during many of the events in this (and has no other sources to help him remember) means that he can‘t trust his memories. This left me wondering what was really true, since he continues to doubt his own memory.

Been in my audiomemoir era this week and have finally finished these titles. Some I started ages ago (Herzog, I love you, but not for extended periods) and some I blazed through (Born a Crime for the third time, can never seem to turn it off once I start). But I liked all of them in different ways and recommend each one!

An eye opening memoir of poet Shane McCrae growing up as a biracial child (mom white, dad black). After he is kidnapped as a toddler by his racist, maternal grandparents and taken across state lines, he grows up struggling in poverty, family dysfunction and understanding his racial identity. Beautifully written and honest, McCrae reconciles with his demons and his own sense of self in order to move on.

McCrae's gift as a poet shines through in his narrative. It felt as though McCrae himself was struggling with his own memories as he was writing them, adding to the powerful nature of his story. Remembering, misremembering, trauma, and the power of truth make this one of the most unique and striking memoirs I have ever read.