An honest, humorous, down to earth collection of essays from a woman of wisdom. I enjoyed how she touched on many different facets of a life well lived and used humor and age to reflect on things we all experience, and will experience as we age.

I went into this blindly not knowing who the author was but absolutely adoring the cover and title. There were a few parts that dragged a bit but I resonated with parts as well. Thanks Macmillan audio for the audio copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book only knowing Jean Grae as a friend of the Judge John Hodgman podcast, so my experience with them is minimal at best. I’m still so pleased I read this. The tone is light and casual and humorous even when the material is heavy. It’s like talking to a particularly energetic and expansive friend. There were so many pieces that I felt deeply even when my life experiences are so different than theirs. Parts are hilarious, parts are serious, parts are both at the same time. I really enjoyed reading this one beyond a lot of other autobiographies I’ve read of people I’m not well acquainted with beforehand.

A collection of darkly humorous, intensely personal essays by cult fave and multi-hyphenate artist Jean Grae

In My Remaining Years, by creative juggernaut Jean Grae, debunks the myth that coming-of-age narratives should be reserved for the kids, providing a much-needed rallying cry for those of us still trying to figure it out in our forties. These laugh-out-loud essays cover everything from aging gracefully (with and without botox), what happens when you look for community and almost start a cult, befriending childhood demons (Hi Mumm-ra!), gender fluidity in middle age, the cost of being too fabulous, and the various gymnastics we do to avoid becoming our parents, taking us from her childhood in 1980s New York City to present-day Baltimore. In these pages, Jean captures magic in a bottle, distilling the feeling of hanging out with your smartest, funniest, and most brutally honest best friend.

My initial interest in this book originated from my familiarity with the artist Jean Grae. As another Baltimore resident in my forties, I anticipated experiencing our shared realities through Jean's perspective. While I didn't fully achieve that, as the description indicates, readers are presented with essays covering a variety of topics, including struggles with her identity as an African American by birth from Cape Town and American citizenship, and what that entails; international travels, finance, and more. I would recommend this book for reading groups of women aged 35 and up, fans of Jean Grae, and those who enjoy essay collections.