The Dirt in Our Skin

by J.J. Anselmi

When Ryan and Jason discover the destructive beauty of freestyle BMX, it’s a definitive before-and-after moment for them. The two riders gravitate to the freedom and raw aggression of trail riding as a way of coping with their tumultuous home Ryan’s domineering father and Jason's father's suicide. The boys prove themselves within the exclusive East Coast BMX scene. They're drawn deeper into the culture when they fall in with a group of older pros who are part of a subterranean world of bisexuality and sadistic humor. As Ryan and Jason fight to preserve their relationship, they must navigate their own emerging sexuality and feelings for one another. The death-drive urge to ride massive jumps makes perfect sense to them, but life outside of riding spills over at the edges. The Dirt in Our Skin is a coming-of-age novel and artistic tribute to an activity that’s more lifestyle than sport. It’s a book of blurred between friendship and love, humor and abuse, art and sport, fiction and nonfiction, and much more.

Genres: Queer, LGBT, Fiction

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2024

About the author

J.J. Anselmi grew up in Rock Springs, Wyoming, a mining boomtown. He’s the author of The Dirt in Our Skin, Out Here on Our Own, Doomed to Fail, and Heavy. He wrote the liner notes for the 2017 reissue of Sepultura’s classic thrash record, Chaos A.D., and his writing has been featured in VICE, The New Republic, The A.V. Club, Revolver, and JSTOR Daily. An active musician, he lives with his family in Southern California.

Reviews

[Christopher Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

There could be any other rating for this! I loved each and every page! I am not a BMX rider, but this novel took me back to times long gone! I loved the characterizations in this novel. JJ Anselmi does an amazing job in every aspect. I would read another novel
by him, and I would recommend this to a lot of people!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit. What a book. I read it in one sitting.
I saw so much of my younger self in this, and it was really cathartic to see this written so earnestly.
Heartache; young love; the delicate, hesitant intimacy of queer teenage love; mentions of Ocean Vuong; skating and BMXing. This book has it all.
Big TWs to look into before reading.

[Dallas Nypaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you told me I would devour a book about BMX in 2 sittings I would laugh and doubt it. However that’s what happened. This coming-of-age novel approaches sexuality and toxic masculinity in such an innocent yet gripping manner. I haven’t cared about characters like this in a very long time. It was a true pleasure reading this nostalgic novel.

[Abi Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

finally a book I couldnt put down! Needed to make this a five star after thinking about it all day

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not all the type of book i was expecting it to be. I don't know anything about bmx and the style of which the author wrote the book from the MC's perspective is one I wasn't a fan of, it was the substance and the complex feelings that a lot of us struggle with growing up also the references to metal music that had me sold on reading this book within a day.

[Ryan Campen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed and learning so much about BMX. The book was super fun to read but I felt it went by so fast with not enough exploration of some the characters in the book except for Ry. Would read again and would love to see a future installment from Jason’s perspective.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually liked this. It was kind of a hidden gem tbh since I'd never heard of this author and I don't know anything about BMX or the subculture. but it was genuinely a really interesting story, I read through it in like 2 days.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come...

[Zane Kage · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[coco's reading]

DNF @ pg. 68.

Maybe if I liked BMX?

[Roadtotherisingsun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised by this book. I got a bit bored towards the middle, i think all the bmx lingo got me out of it. But by the ending I found myself actually invested. A very nice story and it had a smell of the 90’s early 00’s and I loved that so much.

[Ryan Axlut · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping for something else. I really wanted to like this story, I found the synopsis intriguing. And initially during the first half, I found the prose interesting and appreciated the way the author made sure BMX exposition flowed in a natural yet illuminating way. It was very immersive, down to the photos and glossary.

I also appreciated the spotlight on bisexuality. I found it refreshing and unapologetic.

What I struggled to enjoy was the second half of the story.

I also found Natalie an uninteresting character, rather random, and kind of forced upon the reader. I didn’t feel charmed by her relationship with Ryan, nor did I feel myself interested in it in the slightest. Anytime their relationship popped up, I struggled to enjoy the read.

I also hated how quickly the resolution came. For the first half, we were shown such a vivid world of BMX and the unique point of views of our main character. By the second half, it felt as though we were being told how it ended, and it was a far cry from how we were “showed” at the start.

I felt for all the struggles of sexuality and identity, the book took a very heteronormative stance and it seemed for all the push and pull between Ryan and Jason was for naught. I truly truly hated the ending, despite it being a happy ending for all the characters. I found it unearned.

It felt like a picture perfect ending for Ryan, the narrator. But there were a lot of resolutions that felt open-ended for Jason, when I truly wish he got some bit of catharsis. It felt as though him finding a partner at the end solved all his issues, but we never knew how he reconciled with a life after his accident nor what the future held beyond the sport. He was consistently described as a one-of-kind biker, but his story was unceremoniously upended. The poor thing went through the wringer the entire time, whether it was the loss of his father, the way Ryan toyed with his emotions, and then his accident.

I will say I did enjoy the author’s writing and will still be on the look out for future novels.