his collection of Thomas's funny and smart essays was the right thing at the right time. (Hello, week one of the kids' "homeschooling" and all of us home most of the time.) Thank you netgalley.com for the book!

R. Eric Thomas is a funny person on the internet. Now, he's a funny person you can get to know better through his memoir. This book opens with a hilarious, philosophical essay on Sesame Street and ends with a bizarre, poignant short play where Thomas meets past and former versions of himself over lobster tails at a cruise ship buffet. And between, you get so much more, including the time Thomas accidentally became a famous racist, what it feels like to kiss a gay pastor at pride, and how a funny Facebook post led to a career. I LOVE everything about this book: the humor, the profundity, the timing, the balance... It's exactly what I hope for in a book of personal essays. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I texted quotes to friends and begged them to read it. As soon as I read the last word, I wanted to flip back to the beginning and start all over again.

What an absolutely lovely and hilarious essay collection. I've been a long-time reader of R. Eric Thomas' "Eric Reads the News" column for ELLE.com, and I couldn't get enough of Thomas' humor in this book.

There were a few times where the essays ended more abruptly than I would've liked and I wish he'd dug into the underlying internal issues a little bit more, but the entire book came full circle, and the ending is really funny. This was a quick read and a joy from start to finish.

This is one of the best essay collections/memoirs I've ever read. I love Thomas's sharp and clever voice, his ability to make everything relatable and funny, and his poignant descriptions and tellings of his life and thought processes. I appreciated his honesty and his writing about his personal journey and thought processes is beautiful and moving and absolutely charming as well. Love, love, love this book.

You might be familiar with Eric from his daily column on Elle.com, Eric Reads the News, which gives commentary on politics and pop culture. You might be familiar with Eric through his work with The Moth podcast. Or maybe his witty banter on Twitter. If any of those are true, good for you. You've gotten to experience his humor and clever perceptions for much longer than I have. Here For It, his debut book and collection of memoir essays, was my first introduction, which I think I stumbled across on #Bookstagram and then quickly went to request on NetGalley. And frankly, I'm disappointed that I haven't been following his work for years. 

In this collection, Eric describes growing up and growing into adulthood as a black kid in a predominately white private school and a gay kid in a church community that fired its gay music minister for fear of the congregants catching AIDS; a young adult for whom his family had high expectations and a young adult who had to drop out of college; an adult stumbled through a variety of jobs in retail, food service, etc., before realizing he could get paid for what he loved doing. As most of us do, he struggled to figure out who he was and where he fit and how he would be successful in life. While this might sound like a typical coming-of-age memoir that you probably have already read, what separates Eric's book from the rest is his INCREDIBLY seamless and hilarious integration of all things pop culture into his narrative. I mean, he has a whole essay about becoming the Preacher's Wife to his Presbyterian pastor husband, and I have never been so happy to have someone recognize the wonder and brilliance of Whitney Houston's greatest work. (I watch this movie every Christmas and you better believe I blast the album through the whole of December. It's perfection.) He references Sister Act II: Back in the Habit, the more superior of the Sister Act movies, multiple times.
He connects the complex relationship people have with the internet to the complex relationship people have with New York, mentioning the Kristen Johnson's "New York is Over" monologue in Sex and the City. There's so many great little allusions that feel completely integrated into his writing that I feel certain I missed some. They're little nuggets of connections, offerings, gifts to the reader to be seen and validated. 


But really, it's also so much more than the pop culture. I was looking back through the quotes I highlighted (and there were SO MANY), and most of them have nothing to do with pop culture. Most of them are insightful, meaningful, personal moments of wisdom. In one such moment, he's explaining his process for storytelling, which was a bit of an Oprah-aha-moment for me:

"I would remind people in my classes that the storyteller gets to choose the beginning and the end, often despite what happens in life. And that you have to tell your listener what you, the protagonist, want. This connects directly to the "why" of it all. The impetus for raising your voice to speak. there's a power and a clarity in saying, "This is where it begins for me, and this is where it ends," and knowing why. The why is the most crucial. It's what elevates an anecdote to a story; it's the thing that makes people lean forward with anticipation, their pulses quickening, accepting the invitation of empathy."

As a long-time aspiring writer, this hit home for me in a powerful way, not only as a method of how to tell a story, but also as a way of framing your own life. Seeing your life as a series of stories, where you get to define the beginning and the end, gives you so much authority over your life. We might not control all the things that happen to us, but we can control how they shape our overall narrative. And that by sharing our story, with our self-defined beginnings and endings, we are giving our listeners an "invitation of empathy." What bigger gift is there than that?
4.5 stars

In addition to posting my review on Goodreads and my bookstagram account, my full review can be seen on my blog here: https://shecantstopreading.wordpress.com/2020/02/18/review-here-for-it/

I received an ARC for an honest review.

Synopsis:
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 school, his conservative black church, or his Ivy League college in a big city—he found himself on the outside looking in.

In essays by turns hysterical and heartfelt, Eric redefines what it means to be an "other" through the lens of his own life experience. He explores the two worlds of his childhood: the barren urban landscape where his parents' house was an anomalous bright spot, and the verdant school they sent him to in white suburbia. He writes about struggling to reconcile his Christian identity with his sexuality, about the exhaustion of code-switching in college, accidentally getting famous on the internet (for the wrong reason), and the surreal experience of covering the 2016 election as well as the seismic change that came thereafter. Ultimately, Eric seeks the answer to the ever more relevant question: Is the future worth it? Why do we bother when everything seems to be getting worse? As the world continues to shift in unpredictable ways, Eric finds the answers to these questions by re-envisioning what "normal" means, and in the powerful alchemy that occurs when you at last place yourself at the center of your own story.

For fans of Samantha Irby, Michael Arceneaux, and David Sedaris, Here for It will resonate deeply and joyfully with everyone who has ever felt pushed to the margins, struggled with self-acceptance, or wished to shine more brightly in a dark world. Stay here for it—the future may surprise you.

Review:
Honest, hilarious, and super witty. This collection of essays gives a hopeful outlook on the world we live in. This book helps people to reach to be who they are and succeed at finding their voices. This book has the potential to help so many through rough times in their lives. It is absolutely inspiring and makes people feel as though they are not alone in what can be a bleak world. Sometimes the book is a little off but on the very next page it reminds you of why you are slowly falling in love with every word. I highly recommend this one.

This book is funny even though it deals with hard topics like the feeling of not belonging. I recommend this book for those looking for a pick-me-up.

Read this in one sitting. DELIGHTFUL. Will recommend this to teens and adults, especially the sections about his time at private school.

I've long enjoyed R. Eric Thomas's work, so when I saw his memoir on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read and review. I was not disappointed. I don’t think I have ever laughed out loud so much while reading a book. Of course this was going to be funny. But it was also whip-smart, honest, poignant, and didn’t shy away from some tough topics. It’s utterly enjoyable yet thought-provoking. Whatever your background or your reality, I’d bet most of us will find something to relate to in this memoir of finding your place when you feel like an outsider. There is an inherent connection offered in these pages through the experience of finding out who we are and where we belong. Come for the laughs, stay for the honesty. This feels like a conversation with a friend—or someone you want to be your friend. Absolutely recommend.

Thank you, NetGalley & Penguin Random House, for the ARC!

Here For It by R. Eric Thomas was exactly what I needed right now. I have always loved humor writing but had wandered away from it for some time. Thomas reminded me why I love it so much with his approach to making the terrible twist into something comical. He has a way of turning everything from politics to his love-life and everything in between from horrible to hilarious all while keeping the heart in each story. I found myself cringing at his all-to-relatable awkward adventures while also having my eyes opened to worlds I know nothing about. While Thomas covered a lot of topics the underlying message of trying to find and accept yourself for who you truly are is one in which we can all relate. He’s a born storyteller and I hope that he doesn’t stop anytime soon.

This book is absolutely wonderful. It's incredibly funny, and also very profound. It really captures the experience of being young and unsure about who you are, in a way that's very relatable and sometimes heartbreaking, but is also uplifting and full of promise and hope, which I really loved. It's a great book for the times we live in, and remembering to find those little moments of joy in an often confusing and messy world, and I'm recommending it to everyone. I'm glad it exists.

This book of essays made me laugh so much I woke up my husband. When I finished, I immediately ordered it for a friend. R. Eric Thomas is hysterical. Highly recommend!

In "Here for it," R. Eric Thomas chronicles his journey into writing for the internet and finding an authentic voice. Alongside this, he also takes the reader on a tour of how success works, what to do when the American dream seems to fail (make jokes, the dangers of the suburbs, crushes, legacy, family, restaurant work, Krampus, Easter egg hunting, and the dream of what American can be -- and he makes you laugh through just about every minute of it.

I often respect authors and love to learn from them, but Thomas surprised me in echoing so much of what I've experienced. [This becomes even more surprising when you consider that he is an urban, African American, gay, professional writer and I am rural, pale, straight, and unprofessional as can be.] His voice is so distinct and fun that I kept wishing for a friend like him! And even though much of the book is made to be humorous, Thomas is a great guide to how we should value achievement in our narratives rather than just oppression and overcoming as well as all the questions we deal with day to day (where to attend school, what job to pursue). He's got lessons to teach for all of us and calls on the reader to live, "getting up every day with all the fears and tragedies and challenges and potential joys of being a human in regular old neutral-smelling, depressing times." Thomas is going to be here for it - just like his title says - and I hope to be here for his next book, too!

Not to heap so much on a single book, but this memoir/collection of essays helped me through a rough time, saved my life, and cleared my skin. This was hilarious and hopeful from the very first page and it was everything I needed to read in this already exhausting election year.

What an enjoyable read! If you are familiar with R. Eric Thomas’ work in any capacity, you will love this book. I laughed out loud far too many times to count! His ability to have me dying laughing one sentence then reflecting on my own life experience in the next is amazing. It was smart, charming, poignant and hopeful. I cannot wait to listen to this after it is released!

After finding the author on Twitter and reading some of his writings elsewhere, I was sure I would enjoy this memoir. And I was correct! In turns funny and moving, always full of wit, Thomas offers an immensely enjoyable look back at the past and commentary on the present.

A really smart memoir about marginalization and self-acceptance. It's funny and clever and has a ton of personality. It's was a fun read despite the somewhat heavy subject matter. It's a little bittersweet but not maudlin.

What a fun read! Thomas writes with acerbic wit about his life and issues in today's society. I thoroughly enjoyed his take on what's going on in the world today.

If you enjoy R. Eric Thomas' op-ed pieces, you'll equally enjoy his essay compilation. Very funny and timely pieces that made for a quick read.

Netgalley/ARC

I adored this book. I actually had to cover my mouth laughing out loud reading it in public. R. Eric Thomas is one of my favorite writers on the internet. His email roundup of his Elle.com column etc. is one of my weekly highlights. Writing at the intersection of being a black, gay man married to a minister, this group of essays covers everything from the silly to the sacred and brought a tear or two to my eyes.