I am so appreciative to have gotten a glimpse into this author’s childhood world. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about reading a memoir written in third person. It had the effect of turning his story into a literary version of a video game with Joey as the main character. The challenges he must overcome are truly horrifying, from cockroach infested living quarters and neighborhood bullies to a substance-addicted Popop and Ganny and the angst of growing up with no safe haven outside his own games and fascination with various short-lived pets. Even in third person, the author manages to not hold the reader at a distance. His prose is vulnerable and vivid, giving the reader an intimate look at parts of humanity that make us want to turn our heads. While the obstacles never let up, Joey has incredible insight into relationships. I loved watching his fantasy version of human connection get grounded in real life and friendship. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

A gritty and unfiltered memoir from an author who grew up in a very toxic environment. While raw and important, this story was very grim and I didn't finish this one at this time because it was quite taxing.

Raw and explicit, Sink tells the story of Joey’s childhood growing up in extreme poverty in Philly. It is heart wrenching to know that there are so many children who really are never allowed to be a child, that the circumstances in which they are raised steals that from them. In writing his memoir in the third person, Joey’s story shines a light on those lives as well as his own. Bullying, sexual abuse, drugs, poverty, violence on many levels, it was so hard to read about Joey’s sensitive spirit being dragged through all this. Thank goodness he found Ryan and Terrell as well as comfort in the geek world. Not a linear memoir, but told in vignettes centered on momentous memories of the author, the reading at times left you off kilter, but I think that only added to the experience of what Joey’s life must have felt like.

Sink
by Joseph Earl Thomas
Pub Date: February 21, 2023
Grand Central
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this tragic book.
It was a difficult read in more ways than one. First of all., I think it really needed more edits.
I needed to have a timeline to clearly see the progression in this book. There is abuse, cruelty to animals and so much more that is just hard to read.
Sink is a series of vignettes from Joseph Earl Thomas's childhood as a creative, nerdy Black kid constantly surrounded by the threat of violence. The way it discusses toxic masculinity, cycles of violence, race, and poverty in depth, all through the childlike and humorous perspective of an 8- to 12-year-old narrator.
Sadly, this is a book I cannot recommend. Our library will not be purchasing it.
3 stars

I had a hard time getting into this book. I felt lost, without an anchor reading this book.
It was chaotic, confusing, and I repeatedly wanted a timeline.

This book deals with sexual abuse (?), I have a question because the author talks about dry humping at age 6 or 7. Again this is why I needed a timeline.

There was so much going on in the book that it was hard to follow, like building a snow fort and the very next sentence the author waking up in the hospital.

There was animal cruelty. The author would get animals and then NOT take care of them....again, I wish I had a timeline, if the author was 7, why is the Birds, Birds, Birds owner selling quails to a 7 year old?

My eyes glazed over with boredom when the author discussed Pokemon, Crash Bandicoot, all the other games.

This book is chaotic, heartfelt, and a window into extreme abuse and growing up in poverty.
I think that the author needs a heavier hand at editing and I think he will be a wonderful author one day, just not this book.

This is one of the most unique and harrowing memoirs I have every read. Joseph Earl Thomas gives the reader a glimpse into his life growing up in Philly with a crack addicted mother and guardians who regularly abused him. Through it all Joey uses nerd culture and gaming as a life line. This trauma memoir would be of interest to those who also read Ashley Ford's "Somebody's Daughter"

This book was most definitely hard to read. Heard to read because the stories shared were difficult to hear. The telling of this story was unique and heartbreaking. The writing style was sometimes difficult to follow. I appreciate the authors story and the power in telling it.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I almost DNFed this book about mid-way through, as I was struggling to stomach the cruelty surrounding Thomas as a child— what was the purpose of his pain? [When] will things change for him, if ever?

Joseph Earl Thomas’s upbringing mirrored the parts of a city that people may try to avoid or ignore—violence, mental illness and addiction, vermin and unhygienic spaces, isolation, and more. Both within and outside his home, bullies and bigots taunted Thomas about his appearance, femininity and sexuality, ability, and self-worth. Thomas could not avoid these interruptions as they permeated and eventually dominated his home. Reading an omniscient narration of a first-person experience was also a unique experience, and I often had to remind myself that this was not a work of fiction but rather Thomas’s lived experience.

Thomas is an exceptional writer who has penned a distinctively thoughtful and gut-wrenching memoir. The attention to detail of the behaviors of the main characters in his childhood is painful to consider, as this book is proof of the immense impact that our upbringings have on us and that children store these experiences and memories in both their minds and bodies.

As hard as some of these chapters can be to read, there are moments of hope in Thomas’s innocence and how he pacifies himself by taking care of various animals and pets or immersing himself in geek culture. In finding solace in these spaces, Thomas essentially clings to them for survival as he deals with dark thoughts, violent persuasions, and an abysmal self-image.

This memoir is a powerful testament to the importance and significance of community and solidarity. Simple gestures of getting a seat at the dinner table or playing video games after school prove to be pure and powerful ways of exemplifying care and camaraderie, particularly in a cold, complicated world that tests companionship and vulnerability, especially among men.

3.5/5 stars, and be sure to look up content warnings before reading! Many heavy subjects are explored in this memoir.

I do not typically give star ratings to the memoirs I read-- because who am I to rate someone else's life experience? I made an exception for this one though as it was important. unique and an overall great reading experience!

This poor boy went through a life of being constantly belittled and mistreated. It shows how he kept doing his best, but when people are determined to dislike someone, sometimes even that doesn't matter. My heart ached for him.

This is a sad memoir about Joseph Earl Thomas’ childhood from about the age of 7 or 8 until he finished with middle school. The things he had to deal with as a child are, quite frankly, unimaginable to most of us. It’s about poverty (roaches falling out of the ceiling into his cereal bowl), abuse (physical, mental, sexual), growing up with a parent addicted to drugs, bullying, perceived gender roles, racism and so much more. It’s incredibly sad and gut wrenching at times to read. I can’t say I enjoyed this book but I can say that I think (especially as a teacher) that it is important to understand what some children have to endure in their lives and in their homes.

He did find some happiness in his childhood through geek culture - video games, Pokémon etc. and it was the one bright spot in his world. I will say that although there was some sense of finally coming to terms with who he was and the beginning of acceptance from a few areas and people in his life, I was also left just wondering if he made it out okay through and past the high school years and if things ever really got better for him. (So much so that I had to take to google to find out how he is today!) So, there wasn’t a lot of closure for me at the end of the Mr.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of "Sink" in exchange for an honest review. I thought the third person was interesting. I enjoyed how the memoir was written. The idea of not fitting in and trying to find your place is something that many can relate to, even if they haven't had the same experiences. It was beautifully written, although heartbreaking and hard to digest at times.

I try to read books that bring a different view point into my life other than the one that I already know, and Sink certainly did that for me. Joey's experience growing up was pretty much 180 degrees different from my own, yet the writing was so good that I could relate to a lot of the feelings and growing pains Joey goes through. The author does an excellent job of truly getting the reader feeling like they are on this journey with Joey. I make no claim of understanding what it's like to grow up with no real support system and everyone either bullying, beating me up or yelling at me constantly, and so throughout the book I just wanted to give Joey a hug.

The only thing that I can say is that the book jumps around different time periods and so some of the stories were a little confusing time-wise, since I had no idea how old he was during the specific story, The book is also not particularly funny (like if you were expecting an Augusten Burroughs type of memoir), more just envelopes you in what these experiences were like for him, with a little humor thrown in now and again.

Sink by Joseph Earl Thomas is a uniquely written memoir. Told mostly in third person vignettes, Thomas writes about his childhood self, Joey. The book covers a handful of years, between the ages of about nine to thirteen as he struggles to fit in at school, in his neighborhood, and his own family. He's bullied and abused for not being tough enough, manly enough or black enough. His interest in so called white boy stuff--video games, rock music and anime--along with his sensitivity make him a target for name calling, violent attacks and repeated humiliations.

Instead of hardening or responding with violence, he retreats into the fantasy worlds of anime and video games. We see this actually play out in the writing as Thomas interweaves reality with fictional characters and events in the narration of Joey's stories. There are moments where everything blends together, creating surreal scenes where it's hard to differentiate between what is real and imagined. It's a little confusing at moments, however, I was able to follow what was happening without completely understanding it. In this way it mimics how children, and more specifically Joey, see the world. He grew up quickly due to his experience with violence, sex and addiction at a young age. Yet he still has a very immature and naive understanding of these and other aspects of the world.

Sink is incredibly engaging and beautifully written. The third person narration was perfect for giving the author the distance necessary to convey the childlike perspective in an authentic voice. It allowed the reader to simply accept the stories without looking for introspection or reflection on the events from the adult author. I'd love to recommend it to everybody but would warn that it's a difficult read. There were so many heartbreaking moments where I didn't want to keep reading but I was so absorbed in it that I couldn't stop.

This was both tragic and heart warming. It's horrible what some kids go through. But it's inspiring how they are able to overcome.

Sink is a series of vignettes from Joseph Earl Thomas's childhood as a creative, nerdy Black kid constantly surrounded by the threat of violence. The way it discusses toxic masculinity, cycles of violence, race, and poverty in depth, all through the childlike and humorous perspective of an 8- to 12-year-old narrator, make this a must-read. Thomas's descriptions of his childhood environment will stay with me for a long time.

A book I will come back to again and again. This tells the story of a family and of one little boy in a less-than-stellar neighborhood in Philadelphia, all of his struggles and problems, but truly, his insights too. He loves to draw, and often has insights that seem like they come from the mind of an adult. A very moving book.