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Here for It; Or, How to Save Your Soul in America: Essays
by
From the creator of
Elle
's "Eric Reads the News," a poignant and hilarious memoir-in-essays about growing up seeing the world differently, finding his joy, and every awkward, extraordinary stumble along the way.
R. Eric Thomas didn't know he was different until the world told him so. Everywhere he went—whether it was his rich, mostly white, suburban high ...more
R. Eric Thomas didn't know he was different until the world told him so. Everywhere he went—whether it was his rich, mostly white, suburban high ...more
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of Here for It; Or, How to Save Your Soul in America: Essays
Absolutely delightful.
3.5 stars. Before I do my review review, let me just state for the record that I am a long time fan of R. Eric, he is an absolute delight, a true treasure, and he must be protected at all costs. He is one of the wittiest, funniest people writing today and I am always happy to hear from him. So reading this was pretty much a no brainer.
As for my review review, this is an essay collection so I feel like you can almost insert the obligatory essay collection review: the good ones are really good, no ...more
As for my review review, this is an essay collection so I feel like you can almost insert the obligatory essay collection review: the good ones are really good, no ...more
Definitely one of my favorites of the year. Laugh out loud funny, touching, and relatable. I loved this one, was the perfect mix of humor and hope in summer 2020.
Jan 05, 2021
Gretchen Rubin
added it
Once I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down. Thoughtful, funny, very compelling.
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What do we have here? It's the last book I finished before we abruptly locked down in March! Although I myself read it before things in the U.S. went completely batshit, it's still one of two books I would recommend for this particular moment in history (the other is The Book of Delights). Here for It doesn't turn a blind eye to the many (many, many) things wrong with this world, but its humorous and ultimately hopeful tone is a balm for the soul.
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This book of memoir-essays seemed like a better use of my time than doom scrolling, from the writer of Eric Reads the News - most topics are light takes but enjoyable - family, gay pride, growing a voice.
He might be regretting the conclusion of "The Past Smelled Terrible," about how we will never actually have to live through an apocalypse but here's why we crave it - and he goes on to describe our actual living situation for the last 7 months! Ha. Whoops.
Here's the last quote though, still tr ...more
He might be regretting the conclusion of "The Past Smelled Terrible," about how we will never actually have to live through an apocalypse but here's why we crave it - and he goes on to describe our actual living situation for the last 7 months! Ha. Whoops.
Here's the last quote though, still tr ...more
This was the perfect balm for my soul during this wretched pandemic. I laughed so hard in multiple places that my laughter woke my husband, made him let me read to him the passage that made me laugh so hard, and then got him laughing so hard that he couldn't go right back to sleep. Other parts were so sweet or heartfelt or deeply moving that I teared up.
I needed this. I would feel this way even if the world were not in crisis, but it felt especially great in this moment. R. Eric Thomas is a nat ...more
I needed this. I would feel this way even if the world were not in crisis, but it felt especially great in this moment. R. Eric Thomas is a nat ...more
Joyful, deeply felt, and intensely funny, this is a book for everyone who has ever struggled with marginalization, self-acceptance, or just the nagging sense of being at odds with the world. Eric's writing is alternatingly laugh-out-loud funny and deeply introspective. Loved every word and highly recommend.
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I liked this book and thought it was a solid collection. I liked the author and tone. Overall the book is good but some essays are excellent and some are just ok. The balance/consistency wasn’t there for me. I will for sure read more from R. Eric Thomas.
I may be on a bit of a memoir binge and I’m not mad about it. I have to admit that the cover of this book is what initially drew me in. Cover snob alert! Who doesn’t love a pink cover with confetti?! I’m happy to say that I was quite pleased what lay beneath the pretty cover. I went in completely blind to what it was about but ready to dive into something that was being called funny and thoughtful. Indeed, I laughed and cried reading about R. Eric Thomas’s life growing up. I love his approach to
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I think R. Eric Thomas is hilarious, although I strongly relate to his satanic ex boyfriend.
I'm not always this format's biggest fan. Funny online personality turns in a collection of essays for a debut novel, the publisher hoping for some of that online recognition turning into book sales. Exhibit A: a columnist for Elle.com who's day job originated with a presidential thirst tweet citing a photo of Barack Obama, Justin Trudeau and Enrique Peña Nieto as “Tom Ford presents The Avengers."
Still, Here For It and subscribed to the newsletter. Seriously, R. Eric Thomas has a newsletter I've ...more
Still, Here For It and subscribed to the newsletter. Seriously, R. Eric Thomas has a newsletter I've ...more
This book is hilarious (I laughed out loud!). It’s poignant (I cried!). Really just an overall delight. I read this during the COVID pandemic and it felt like a balm to my weary heart. Plus, it has a pink cover with confetti. Gosh I love this book.
(free review copy)
Objectively, is this a five-star book? Probably not. Did I love it five stars, was it “amazing” as per the Goodreads rating system? Definitely. I didn’t actually know R. Eric Thomas before reading this and now I feel like not only do I know him, but I want to be the kind of friends with him that are able to discuss our disdain for time travel solely based on how bad the past smells. What a joy to find someone who shares this disgust with me, I can’t even tell you. This was such a delight and a b
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IGTV REVIEW
Have you ever had A DAY and then needed a friend to come along, cry with you, hug you, make you feel inspired but not fill you with false ideas, and then dance off into the sunset with you? Well...consider this book and @oureric THAT. FRIEND.
Here For It is Eric’s memoir and a bind up of essays, but also so much more than that! It’s a piece of soul that we all can relate to. It’s the idea of what we and our country can be. It’s all of our hopes and fears and struggles and then hopes a ...more
Have you ever had A DAY and then needed a friend to come along, cry with you, hug you, make you feel inspired but not fill you with false ideas, and then dance off into the sunset with you? Well...consider this book and @oureric THAT. FRIEND.
Here For It is Eric’s memoir and a bind up of essays, but also so much more than that! It’s a piece of soul that we all can relate to. It’s the idea of what we and our country can be. It’s all of our hopes and fears and struggles and then hopes a ...more
Alternatively sobering and laugh out loud hilarious, I LOVED THIS BOOK! Read it!
A thoughtful, though at times disjointed, collection of essays following the trajectory of his own life, "Here For It" is R. Eric Thomas' take on life in the United States as a black, gay, Christian man.
This memoir tells the life story of its author through snippets of thoughtful engagement with history, politics, and pop culture. From stories about growing up black in Baltimore, gay in New York, and black and gay in Philly, each essay is a little bite of a broader conversation about the ways in ...more
This memoir tells the life story of its author through snippets of thoughtful engagement with history, politics, and pop culture. From stories about growing up black in Baltimore, gay in New York, and black and gay in Philly, each essay is a little bite of a broader conversation about the ways in ...more
Very funny and warm collection. EXACTLY what I needed right now to cheer up. This is the sort of book that makes you wish you were friends with the author.
SERIOUSLY. So much fun.
I feel guilty saying how fun this was for me to read when in all honestly it had some pretty serious heartbreaking moments and revelations. But R. Eric Thomas had me in stitches so much of the narration that I just enjoyed it so much!
I didn't even know who he was prior to this book. He's such a gifted and talented story teller that literally has you peeing your pants with laughter one minute, then in tears as he relays some heavy and challenging times in his childhood, and ...more
I feel guilty saying how fun this was for me to read when in all honestly it had some pretty serious heartbreaking moments and revelations. But R. Eric Thomas had me in stitches so much of the narration that I just enjoyed it so much!
I didn't even know who he was prior to this book. He's such a gifted and talented story teller that literally has you peeing your pants with laughter one minute, then in tears as he relays some heavy and challenging times in his childhood, and ...more
So good!! I listened to the audiobook. Thomas is a wonderful narrator. While I'm confident that "Here for It" is also a great book to read with one's eyes, Thomas brings so much life, feeling, and humor to his reading, making me glad I listened to the audiobook.
Thomas's storytelling and reflections charming, funny, and poignant.
The last chapter transported me to a time when love and community were abundant, and it was like a balm for my soul. (Nine months into COVID and counting!)
If you haven't ...more
Thomas's storytelling and reflections charming, funny, and poignant.
The last chapter transported me to a time when love and community were abundant, and it was like a balm for my soul. (Nine months into COVID and counting!)
If you haven't ...more
These essays are just delightful! Writer, and pop culture expert, R Eric Thomas speaks candidly about being a gay black man and the many intersections of his life. He’s married to a white minister! You want to hear these stories. The religious aspect especially. Thomas is a very thoughtful, funny storyteller. Just what I needed!
I’ve been on the nonfiction/memoir kick and loving it! Here For It was so good, and it was just the perfect read I needed in this challenging year. Perfect to read right now, and it definitely brought the humor.
I really loved the way that author Thomas handled life, and gave it a laugh right back.
*thank you Ballantine + Netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own
I really loved the way that author Thomas handled life, and gave it a laugh right back.
*thank you Ballantine + Netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own
A treasure, the kind of book I’ll recommend to everyone but lend to no one because I’ll be rereading it for years to come. An uproariously funny, tender, and hopeful look at how, despite internal and external resistance, we can create a more positive, intersectional future for ourselves and the people we love.
This book is everything.
I listened to this memoir in essays and being in R. Eric Thomas' company was a complete joy. Heartfelt, funny, and utterly charming, I can't recommend this one enough. Plus, he's a fellow Baltimorean, which only added to my enjoyment!
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This is one of the funniest memoir-ish books I've ever read. I really liked how he weaved through his stories with humor and discussed important topics with both a humorous yet serious tone. There literally wasn't a chapter where I didn't have a laugh out loud moment. Having a loud persona and thriving as an introvert is what I aspire to be.
Meeting R. Eric virtually was everything because he was even more delightful in person than in the book. Time to go subscribe to his newsletter and catch u ...more
Meeting R. Eric virtually was everything because he was even more delightful in person than in the book. Time to go subscribe to his newsletter and catch u ...more
This book made me genuinely laugh out loud in the middle of a pandemic, which probably means it should win at least one literary award. But it's not just hilarious- these reflective essays are also often quite wise and insightful. It's one of those books that will make you say "Ha!" then "Hmm" all the way through.
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Wonderful! Thomas is funny! Really funny. The book is full of heart and humor. Highly recommend.
I'm totally here for *Here for It (Or, How to Save Your Soul in America)*! Hitting streets this week (2.18.2020), this collection of essays is honest & funny & unflinchingly hopeful at a time of almost continual bleakness in our country.
R. Eric Thomas gives us an antidote to that boiling desire to just give the hell up already. And he *does* make me not want to give up. Partly because there is plenty of struggle in these pages. Partly because his references to pop culture throughout the last 35 ...more
R. Eric Thomas gives us an antidote to that boiling desire to just give the hell up already. And he *does* make me not want to give up. Partly because there is plenty of struggle in these pages. Partly because his references to pop culture throughout the last 35 ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read With Jenna (...: Share your thoughts about Here For It | 1 | 66 | Sep 02, 2020 09:03AM | |
| SCPL Online NonFi...: Epilogue | 1 | 6 | Jul 03, 2020 04:06PM | |
| SCPL Online NonFi...: Code-Switching | 1 | 4 | Jun 29, 2020 10:28AM | |
| Skokie Public Lib...: Reading or Listening? | 11 | 17 | Jun 24, 2020 07:52AM | |
| SCPL Online NonFi...: “A library is a universe with smaller universes contained within the pages" | 1 | 3 | Jun 23, 2020 04:30PM |
Readers also enjoyed
R. Eric Thomas is the national bestselling author of Here For It, or How to Save Your Soul in America, “a laugh-out-loud memoir strongly recommended for everyone” (Library Journal). His biography of Rep. Maxine Waters, Reclaiming Her Time, co-authored with Helena Andrews-Dyer, will be published in late 2020 by Dey Street Books.
He is also a playwright, the long-running host of The Moth in Philadelp ...more
He is also a playwright, the long-running host of The Moth in Philadelp ...more
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“When the fact of your being is used as a weapon against you, the process of relearning who you are and what your value is, is a long one.”
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“You say you want a happy ending, but neither of those words is really what you're searching for. For instance, you will not live to see a just world. But you will live to see acts of justice.”
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