Funny, engaging, and nuanced essays on what it means to be a Black gay man, an immigrant, and a writer in contemporary America. Lester Fabian Brathwaite has a distinct narrative voice and so many great stories to tell. Highly recommend this collection for fans of Samantha Irby, J.P. Brammer, and R. Eric Thomas.

I was drawn to the cover and bold title. I didn’t know much about the author prior to picking this up and found parts to be darkly funny and other parts not for me.

I am sure I am in the minority and others will enjoy this book more.

Thank you Netgalley & PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Tiny Reparations Books for the advanced reader copy.

A pointed, thoughtful and hilarious examination of race, body image, and sexuality. Lester's prose is so engaging and gripping that I found myself going to bed earlier than usual - just so I could curl up with his book. Not only did I laugh out loud on more than one occasion, I found myself turning to my husband and reading him passages that led to exciting conversations. This book deserves all the attention and praise that it has been getting.

I wanted so badly to love this book, but unfortunately the writing style is just not resonating with me/engaging me. I've DNFed at 30%. I do enjoy reading about the experiences the author describes in detail and in earnest, but the thoughts can be a bit meandering which distracts me as a reader.

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant . . . and Completely Over It by Lester Fabian Brathwaite from Penguin Group Dutton/Tiny Reparations Books via NetGalley.

Although I am not queer or Black, the title, Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant . . . and Completely Over It by Lester Fabian Brathwaite, captured my attention and made me want to read this book. As a middle-aged perimenopausal woman, I am quite acquainted with rage. This book gave me a new and different perspective on rage. Lester has plenty of reasons to have rage. It is kind of funny that the underlying source of much of his rage is similar to mine even though we have very different life experiences. I found myself saying, "You are so right about that!" many times. You have to read the book to find out what that source is.

This book doesn't mince words and deals with topics that may make some people feel uncomfortable. Personally, I think it is good to challenge your thinking and open yourself up to new perspectives. There are things I will never truly be able to understand because I am not Black or queer, but I can get a better idea of where people are coming from with their own rage. Thanks, Lester!

Rage is a wonderful memoir on being queer, black, brilliant and completely over it by Lester Fabian Brathwaite.
This personal essay was very inspiring and creative.
An engaging debut!

When the marketing team at Tiny Reparations Books offered me an early copy of Lester Fabian Brathwaite's new memoir, I said sure. The cover and description was giving me R. Eric Thomas vibes, and y'all know how I love him. I had never heard of Brathwaite before, but I figured I'd give it a try.

In ten chapters, Brathwaite covers a myriad of topics that define his intersectional identity: life as an effeminate queer, Black, immigrant, male writer. I will admit, I had a hard time getting into it at first. While his tone varies in this, it initially came off as a little too in-your-face with its brashness and purposeful vulgarity. The more I got to know him, though, I think it was perhaps his intent to shock the reader a bit to get us off balance, and what I ended up finding was pretty great.

The vulnerability, honestly, and effectiveness in his writing was remarkable, and the more I read, the more I found I liked him and what he had to say. The final chapter, "Rage", in particular felt poignant, and although I cannot connect to the feeling of Black rage, as James Baldwin defines it, I can connect to the fact that so much of what is happening in our world currently makes me furious, and questioning what I'm supposed to do with that anger. I was finishing this while also listening to The Sum of Us, by Heather McGee, and while they are very different books, I was surprised by how many similarities I found between them.

This book is out today, and I'd love to see it get into the hands of more readers! Definitely check this one out.

This collection of essays was hilariously thought provoking and relatable. Lester Fabian Brathwaite's voice is powerful and expressive. He's honest and as it is a memoir of sorts baised, at times. These are his experiences. I was very impressed with his ability to call people to the carpet. No one was ever a victim for too long. The standouts (I highlighted most of the essay and had the most notes) for me were F*cking White Boys, N*gger Lover, Memoir of a Blouse, The Impossibility of Love, Victim or Villian, Silence and Rage. Yes, that's more than half the essays in the book. I really enjoyed collection. I've recommended it to several black men that I know will get something out of it. Mr. Brathwaite explores racism, classism, mental health, colorism, masculinity, and self-hate as well as homosexuality in this collection. It truly is layered and I believe, there is something for everyone.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 9/7/24. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

An interesting collection of personal essays exploring the intersections of the authors identities and culture at large. I don’t think I was the intended audience for this book but found the essays to be insightful. The author’s voice is very clear and added a lot of dimension to the essays that at times felt like a friend was telling you their thoughts on different topics. A solid debut.

It took me a long time to read this book, not because there was any fault in the prose. Far from it. Brathwaite writes with clarity, humor, and a straightforward awareness of so many difficult questions about life in contemporary America.

The first half of the book deals with being gay, gay sex, bodybuilder issues, all in the context of being Black and gay. The second half branches out wider into the fretful, intersecting circles of being gay today, being Black today, Black rage--white rage, which is a threat to everyone--gender, queerness, and the eddies that whirl off from these circles.

In talking about gay spaces that are supposed to be save for gay folks, but there's safe for white gays and safe for Black gays, he says:

"But darker skin comes with the expectation of violence, as does a lower economic class, since those Black gay clubs are often in the hood. Even when they're not, the expectation is that the bar will be patronized by poorer people, despite the existence of an exorbitant cover and watered-down drinks. Being Black in the gay community feels more second-class than being Black in America as a whole. In the gay community, you're actually encouraged to settle for separate but less-equal, whether it's a bar, or the apps, or health services. But on the other hand, you're also expected to stand with and support your gay community, unquestioningly, regardless of how your community treats you."

He finally addresses the issue of rage, and how he handles it. How it might be handled; his empathy for all those raised angry, and its toxic effects, is there, caught fast like a beacon in the deluge.

An articulate, sobering, worthwhile book for any reader who would like to read more Black voices.

So, I don’t know. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, a former writer for “Entertainment Weekly” (oh, how I miss the hard copy of that magazine) isn’t even always that mad…more despairing of some of his life choices. He’s young, queer, gifted and black and filled with gallows humor. The book is described as a memoir:cultural critique/live grenade….it’s a bit of all of these, I suppose. Social commentary and pop culture mixed with anecdotes from his life.

There’s a LOT about his desire for white men and body builders, as well as black rage, masculinity, the treatment of gay people of color and his mom who died when he was fourteen. He is an NYU dropout from Guyana, maybe in his 30s. He has some sort of weird immigration status which means he can’t get a passport? I was curious about this, but he only covered it in passing while describing how he couldn’t go abroad to visit a crush.

“I personally didn’t do shit. I didn’t march. I didn’t vote.” Originally a WTF moment, but perhaps he cannot. In the same paragraph he says he’s getting “more radical” as he gets older, whatever that means. If he can’t vote he should probably say so, instead of letting people assume it’s because of apathy. Unless it’s because of apathy, in which case, WTF???

“the role of the artist seemed to be to chase the world, the get crushed by it.” Welcome to being human, my friend. It gets us all, in the end.

He seems so very alone, and very lonely, which are not at all the same thing. He speaks of cutting ties with his remaining family then says, “I’ve walked away from relationships before….to my understanding life is ephemeral, as are bonds we make…love fades, friendships and people die and you keep moving.” This seems to be a person in desperate need of a rudder. A relationship that is real, and lasts.

Of Trump lovers, “I fear they would rather America implode then relinquish their death grip on this country.” Agreed. I think what you have is a group of people who are the least able to admit they might be wrong, led by the king of never admitting failure. That will never, ever end well.

Who is this book for? I’m not really sure. Obviously those in his demographic, but I felt there was something so very sad about the author. He was a boy who desperately needed a mother who lost his too early and he’s never been able to find any sort of replacement for that relationship. He needs stable, sustaining love. I hope he finds it. (Dr. Brewster is not, in fact, a doctor of anything except jurisprudence, and that doesn’t really count, plus she has never treated the author, but she thinks they would have fabulous brunches together. Dr. Brewster would probably have the pancakes or a nice waffle.)

Lester Fabian Brathwaite's debut Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant... and Completely Over It is an engaging commentary on black culture, particularly black queer culture mixed in with memoir. He touches on topics such as gay literature, body dysmorphia, interracial relationships, queer friendships, and the dominance of white culture. Some of the essays were more personal, where others read more takes on culture. Brathwaite moved to the US from Guyana at a young age, and that may also have an effect on how he views cultural touchpoints. I particularly enjoyed his essays about art, be it literature or cinema and how queer people were portrayed. Firstly, queer people of color were not highlighted for quite a while. He notes the film Moonlight as an important milestone in black queer art. He talks about queer people being portrayed as either villains or victims in cinema. He has a complicated relationship with white gay men. This was a pretty thought provoking book- I had not read anything by him (I don't think) in the past, but I enjoyed his writing and I'll be on the lookout for future work by him.

Thank you Tiny Reparations Books for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

I had to DNF this one. This book was not working for me. The first chapter just turned me off altogether and I hope someone else enjoys it more than I do

Lester Fabian Brathwaite bravely shares his thoughts and opinions and rage on the pages of this memoir. It was well written and heart-wrenchingly open and honest.

Thank you to Penguin for inviting me to read an early copy of this book.

I wasn't aware of Lester Fabian Brathwaite before reading this book but you can tell he has an amazing storytelling voice.

There's a well-explained nuance to everything the author has trouble with or even hates. I loved how it was structured as "I hate this bit" and then proceeded to spend time as to how he got to that level of hatred and it made sense.

The book simmers with the rage of the titles but goes full boil in the final chapter. The book allowed the reader to become comfortable with how the author was almost passive in his assessments so when he unleashes his grievances in the final, it ties everything up and I absolutely loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group and Tiny Reparations for the ARC of Rage. Lester’s writing captivated me from the get go. The story is a collection of Lester’s opinions on some deep and sensitive topics. It was refreshing to hear honest opinions unmuddled by the fear of retribution. There were times where I was unsure of the path, however, I thought that Lester was able to get their point across in away that was impressive and scathing. Definitely a book I recommend if you enjoy honesty and reading on deep topics.

I did not find this book enjoyable. It was hard to get through I thought about dnfing multiple times.

I think this was a case of right book wrong time for me. I enjoyed the writing from Brathwaite but after the first few chapters, I had to take a break. I could feel the rage through the pages and that’s a testament to this quality writing. I’d like to come back to this book at some point when I can better appreciate this work.

Thanks to Tiny Reparations Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

A bold, blistering examination of the intersections of Black and queer identity, Rage is hilarious at one turn and searing at the next. Diving into pop culture as diverse as Las Culturistas, Noah's Ark, and The City and The Pillar, it's deeply personal, a firecracker of a memoir that looks at being Black, being gay, and being both.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and Tiny Reparations Books for the ARC of Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant . . . and Completely Over It in exchange for an honest review. I liked this! I'm a big fan of Lester Fabian Brathwaite, I think he's such a brilliant writer and I'll read his opinion on just about any topic. Rage is a collection of ten essays that detail his observations on Blackness, queerness, race, sexuality, society, and culture. His views on America and the obsession with white supremacy in an almost cult-like way are opinions that I agree with and see daily. The chapter "Gifted" stuck out to me because what does it mean to be young, Black, and gifted in America anyway? What do we get out of it? I enjoyed the book's second half more than the first, which explains this rating. It's not that I thought the first half was bad, it was heading for a "DNF" and I cannot forget that. Ultimately, this is a 3.5 read for me. Some of the more personal views and preferences are where I disagree with him and it took me out of it but his analysis of the world as a whole is so sharp, witty, and on point.