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FEATURED ON THE COVER OF TIME MAGAZINE AS A 2021 NEXT GENERATION LEADER “A once-in-a-generation voice.” – Vulture “One of our greatest living writers.” – Shondaland A full-throated and provocative memoir in letters from the New York Times bestselling author, “a dazzling literary talent whose works cut to the quick of the spiritual self” (Esquire) In three critically acclaimed novels, Akwaeke Emezi has introduced readers to a landscape marked by familial tensions, Igbo belief systems, and a boundless search for what it means to be free. Now, in this extraordinary memoir, the bestselling author of The Death of Vivek Oji reveals the harrowing yet resolute truths of their own life. Through candid, intimate correspondence with friends, lovers, and family, Emezi traces the unfolding of a self and the unforgettable journey of a creative spirit stepping into power in the human world. Their story weaves through transformative decisions about their gender and body, their precipitous path to success as a writer, and the turmoil of relationships on an emotional, romantic, and spiritual plane, culminating in a book that is as tender as it is brutal. Electrifying and inspiring, animated by the same voracious intelligence that distinguishes Emezi's fiction, Dear Senthuran is a revelatory account of storytelling, self, and survival.
Reviews with the most likes.
Vulnerable, honest, intense.
Epistolary essays on spirituality, gender, sense of self, being a writer, relationships, intimacy/desire in the face of past trauma, mental health.
As can happen with the profoundly personal, especially in regards to those with religion, there are aspects of this memoir I can't relate to, but that I sincerely hope were a helpful catharsis for the author.
For those who may find the topic triggering, there are passages which discuss transgender transitioning surgeries and recovery: breast reduction, subsequent mastectomy, hysterectomy.
I remain grateful for every single memoir that expands the discussion of gender or the lack thereof.
⚠️suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, body/gender dysphoria, SA, self harm, abuse, chronic pain, medical transphobia, infidelity, gore (mostly metaphorical), racism