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I Will Not Leave You Comfortless: A Memoir
I Will Not Leave You Comfortless is the intimate memoir of a boy’s growing up in small-town Missouri, from a writer “known for beautifully expressive and strikingly lucid prose” (Thisbe Nissen). In 1984, the eleventh year of his life, Jeremy Jackson experiences his first love, the loss of his grandmother, and his sister’s departure for college — seemingly ordinary events that erode his innocence in a way that will never be fully repaired. Through tenderhearted, steadfast prose—redolent of the glories of outdoor life on the family farm—Jackson recalls the deeply sensual wonders of his rural Midwestern thunderstorms roaring off the prairie, fresh milk in bottles, bicycle rides in September sunlight, and the horizon vanishing behind tall grasses. At once elegiac and startlingly direct, these fluid and powerful missives evoke the pain and beauty that mingle within even a happy childhood. With storytelling informed by a profound sense of place and an emotional memory startlingly vivid, readers young and old will be transported and transformed by this coming-of-age tale.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
224 pages, Hardcover
First published October 2, 2012
16 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Jackson
28 books50 followersJeremy Jackson was raised in the Ozark borderlands of central Missouri on a small farm. He attended Vassar College, where he won the English Department Prize for Fiction. After college he earned his M.F.A. at the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop, where he studied under Frank Conroy, Marilynne Robinson, and James Alan McPherson. While in the Workshop, he was awarded a Teaching-Writing Fellowship.
Jeremy's first novel, Life at These Speeds, was published in 2002. It was a selection of the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers program, a Booklist Editor's Choice, and is currently being developed as a feature film. In 2004, Jeremy's second novel, In Summer, was a BookSense Recommended Book.
Jeremy has also written three cookbooks: The Cornbread Book, Desserts that Have Killed Better Men Than Me, and Good Day for a Picnic. The Cornbread Book was nominated for a James Berad Award. His articles about food appeared in The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune, and he was featured in Food and Wine magazine. He has appeared on NBC's Today Show, NPR's All Things Considered, and American Public Media's The Splendid Table.
Jeremy published two books for teenagers under the pseudonym Alex Bradley. 24 Girls in 7 Days (2005) and Hot Lunch (2007) were teen comedies. 24 Girls in 7 Days was translated into several languages.
Jeremy has taught at Vassar College, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Grinnell College, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. He's the recipient of a Henfield Prize, a James Michener-Copernicus Society of America Fellowship, and two Iowa Arts Council Grants. He's represented by Jennifer Carlson at Dunow, Carlson, and Lerner in New York.
Jeremy's first novel, Life at These Speeds, was published in 2002. It was a selection of the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers program, a Booklist Editor's Choice, and is currently being developed as a feature film. In 2004, Jeremy's second novel, In Summer, was a BookSense Recommended Book.
Jeremy has also written three cookbooks: The Cornbread Book, Desserts that Have Killed Better Men Than Me, and Good Day for a Picnic. The Cornbread Book was nominated for a James Berad Award. His articles about food appeared in The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune, and he was featured in Food and Wine magazine. He has appeared on NBC's Today Show, NPR's All Things Considered, and American Public Media's The Splendid Table.
Jeremy published two books for teenagers under the pseudonym Alex Bradley. 24 Girls in 7 Days (2005) and Hot Lunch (2007) were teen comedies. 24 Girls in 7 Days was translated into several languages.
Jeremy has taught at Vassar College, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Grinnell College, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. He's the recipient of a Henfield Prize, a James Michener-Copernicus Society of America Fellowship, and two Iowa Arts Council Grants. He's represented by Jennifer Carlson at Dunow, Carlson, and Lerner in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 19, 2017
It's funny to review this today because today I also read an interview with a literary agent. Here's what he said in response to the question "What are the most important elements you look at when considering taking on an author? Platform? Sales potential? How do you determine an author is going to be a success before they're actually a success?"
Evaluating an author is different when it comes to fiction and non-fiction. In fiction, I tend to look for quality writing first and foremost. The author will become a household name by extension of that. Secondly, I look for the hook in what makes the story appealing, rather than merely a well-written novel where nothing actually takes place other than people on the beach drinking white wine. Awards, nominations, publications in literary magazines, advance praise, etc. can all help in terms of showing relevant writing experience, credentials, and a community built around a fiction author, but at the end of the day it's about quality writing. For non-fiction, I focus primarily on the author's platform; looking at what their social media reach is in terms of number of followers and engagement with their followers, website visits, newsletter subscription rates, etc. While non-fiction is more idea-driven, the quality of the writing tends to take more of a backseat to the subject matter and who the author is and how they will reach their built-in readership. When I start to see some of those items in place, I get a better sense of how successful a book might be.
I know that this person is speaking professionally rather than personally, so all of this is subject to change if we're talking about what he likes. I thought it was very telling that what the publishing world is looking for is almost the polar opposite of what I'm looking for.
Let's start with fiction. I think that there's some fiction with a great hook, and when I go booktalk to a group of high schoolers, I thank all that is fucking holy that there are books with an interesting, quick premise. But when I read, I don't think I really enjoy the books with the big hook. I find a lot more happiness in finding authors I like and just reading whatever the hell they make until I hit something I don't like. Then I might stop. I kind of tend to feel that a great premise is not likely to equal a great book. A great premise is serviceable, does what it needs to do, and gets out of its own way if it's smart. But I think it's a rare thing to hear the premise of a book and then have that book follow through. I think it's a lot more likely you'll find something good if it's coming from an author you like or who writes like someone you like.
With non-fiction, I'm in total disagreement. So much non-fiction suffers from the problem where there's a story that's interesting as hell, and it's told by the completely wrong person. Which is sometimes the person who lived it.
And when it comes to deciding what to publish based on clout...I get it. Nobody has started "Breaking Even Press" or "Just Scraping By Publications." But when it comes to deciding to read, I give a hearty FUCK THAT. The best Tweeters are not the best writers. The people who win awards aren't the best. The ones you hear on NPR aren't the best.
Trying to decode popularity is impossible, and trying to decode "good" and "bad" books is also really difficult. Which is why I think trying to correlate those things is really, really stupid (on the reading side, not the sales side. When it comes to sales, fuck yeah I'd have an easier time selling a book by someone extremely popular. Duh).
I think a lot of us can relate to the experience of reading THE book from the moment and thinking, "...Eh." Whether it's something Oprah was talking about or a profile of someone in the news a lot or a topical book. All of us have picked up that book that EVERYONE is reading and thought, "I'm not even going to tell people I read this because everyone else loves it and I might lose my shit in talking about it."
It's not just you. Sometimes that non-fiction isn't that great. It's just popular.
I Will Not Leave You Comfortless breaks all the rules listed above. It breaks all the publication/representation rules, but it is a great book, and it checks ALL the boxes when it comes to reading. It's never going to make any money for anyone, it doesn't have a huge hook, and it's very, very micro and concerning someone who isn't famous. I don't even know if he's on Twitter. I looked for a hot second, and then decided I couldn't care less.
Which is why I want to start my new bookstore: Books By Writers Who Are Not On Twitter
How's that for a hook?
Evaluating an author is different when it comes to fiction and non-fiction. In fiction, I tend to look for quality writing first and foremost. The author will become a household name by extension of that. Secondly, I look for the hook in what makes the story appealing, rather than merely a well-written novel where nothing actually takes place other than people on the beach drinking white wine. Awards, nominations, publications in literary magazines, advance praise, etc. can all help in terms of showing relevant writing experience, credentials, and a community built around a fiction author, but at the end of the day it's about quality writing. For non-fiction, I focus primarily on the author's platform; looking at what their social media reach is in terms of number of followers and engagement with their followers, website visits, newsletter subscription rates, etc. While non-fiction is more idea-driven, the quality of the writing tends to take more of a backseat to the subject matter and who the author is and how they will reach their built-in readership. When I start to see some of those items in place, I get a better sense of how successful a book might be.
I know that this person is speaking professionally rather than personally, so all of this is subject to change if we're talking about what he likes. I thought it was very telling that what the publishing world is looking for is almost the polar opposite of what I'm looking for.
Let's start with fiction. I think that there's some fiction with a great hook, and when I go booktalk to a group of high schoolers, I thank all that is fucking holy that there are books with an interesting, quick premise. But when I read, I don't think I really enjoy the books with the big hook. I find a lot more happiness in finding authors I like and just reading whatever the hell they make until I hit something I don't like. Then I might stop. I kind of tend to feel that a great premise is not likely to equal a great book. A great premise is serviceable, does what it needs to do, and gets out of its own way if it's smart. But I think it's a rare thing to hear the premise of a book and then have that book follow through. I think it's a lot more likely you'll find something good if it's coming from an author you like or who writes like someone you like.
With non-fiction, I'm in total disagreement. So much non-fiction suffers from the problem where there's a story that's interesting as hell, and it's told by the completely wrong person. Which is sometimes the person who lived it.
And when it comes to deciding what to publish based on clout...I get it. Nobody has started "Breaking Even Press" or "Just Scraping By Publications." But when it comes to deciding to read, I give a hearty FUCK THAT. The best Tweeters are not the best writers. The people who win awards aren't the best. The ones you hear on NPR aren't the best.
Trying to decode popularity is impossible, and trying to decode "good" and "bad" books is also really difficult. Which is why I think trying to correlate those things is really, really stupid (on the reading side, not the sales side. When it comes to sales, fuck yeah I'd have an easier time selling a book by someone extremely popular. Duh).
I think a lot of us can relate to the experience of reading THE book from the moment and thinking, "...Eh." Whether it's something Oprah was talking about or a profile of someone in the news a lot or a topical book. All of us have picked up that book that EVERYONE is reading and thought, "I'm not even going to tell people I read this because everyone else loves it and I might lose my shit in talking about it."
It's not just you. Sometimes that non-fiction isn't that great. It's just popular.
I Will Not Leave You Comfortless breaks all the rules listed above. It breaks all the publication/representation rules, but it is a great book, and it checks ALL the boxes when it comes to reading. It's never going to make any money for anyone, it doesn't have a huge hook, and it's very, very micro and concerning someone who isn't famous. I don't even know if he's on Twitter. I looked for a hot second, and then decided I couldn't care less.
Which is why I want to start my new bookstore: Books By Writers Who Are Not On Twitter
How's that for a hook?
April 5, 2017
I was drawn in by this memoir of Jeremy at age ten, when there is much turmoil in his young life. The writing style is impressive, and Jeremy's prose easily evokes your own memories of what it was like to be ten years old. The story follows him over the course of a single year as he begins to understands the adult world around him. Good story, good style, nice structure, and well developed characters make it easy to connect with his struggles in this coming of age memoir.
July 17, 2025
I can't rate anything by Jeremy Jackson poorly. I read this just because he wrote it and I loved his other books, and being his memoir I kept seeing elements that were incorporated into his works of fiction, a sort of "citing his sources" feel. Dude loves small-town Missouri. His prose was great as always, and although some chapters felt too long I couldn't help but love it in the end. A reflection on his childhood through an adult lense
September 4, 2012
I am a sucker for a good memoir as we know, and I absolutely love Jeremy Jackson's writing, so when I heard he had a memoir coming out, I was chomping at the bit for months to get my hands on a copy!
This is a memoir about Jeremy growing up in Western Missouri when he’s eleven, on a small farm (his parents both work; the farm is just for household consumption) with his two older sisters, and with his grandparents in the next town over. He's trying to navigate school and friendships and getting the coolest bike ever and girls and family. The story is fairly typical (which makes it very nostalgic for all readers, even ones who grew up in the suburbs of a neighboring state) but alongside all the ordinary things about 1984, Jeremy's grandmother doesn't feel well and has some strange and severe pains. While eleven-year-old Jeremy doesn't clue in to the ominous and alarming state of his grandmother until much later than the readers will, you almost hold you breath hoping he won't figure it out until later, to preserve a few more days of innocence.
The book is very sweet without being saccharine, lyrical without being writerly, evocative and comforting. Mr. Jackson is one of those terrific writers who can take things I normally don't like (lyrical writing, short choppy sentences that are often fragments, repetition) and yet make it all into a book I love. That takes a truly masterful writer. The book is quiet, not action-packed, and nonetheless it's a very fast read. I particularly liked one chapter towards the end where he acknowledged that he's not just the main character but he's also the author, writing a memoir, which necessarily is missing parts and has other bits glossed over, and he wonders if those missed parts serve a purpose, if the reader would understand certain things better or worse if he'd told us details sooner. It was a very interesting acknowledgement of the necessity of an unreliable narrator in all memoirs (or at least a narrator not interested in telling everything) and the difficulty of writing memoirs generally.
If you remember eating sweet corn in the summer and fishing in the creek and going camping with the Scouts and worrying if the girl you like will like you back, please take this lovely trip down memory lane. I promise, you won't regret it.
This is a memoir about Jeremy growing up in Western Missouri when he’s eleven, on a small farm (his parents both work; the farm is just for household consumption) with his two older sisters, and with his grandparents in the next town over. He's trying to navigate school and friendships and getting the coolest bike ever and girls and family. The story is fairly typical (which makes it very nostalgic for all readers, even ones who grew up in the suburbs of a neighboring state) but alongside all the ordinary things about 1984, Jeremy's grandmother doesn't feel well and has some strange and severe pains. While eleven-year-old Jeremy doesn't clue in to the ominous and alarming state of his grandmother until much later than the readers will, you almost hold you breath hoping he won't figure it out until later, to preserve a few more days of innocence.
The book is very sweet without being saccharine, lyrical without being writerly, evocative and comforting. Mr. Jackson is one of those terrific writers who can take things I normally don't like (lyrical writing, short choppy sentences that are often fragments, repetition) and yet make it all into a book I love. That takes a truly masterful writer. The book is quiet, not action-packed, and nonetheless it's a very fast read. I particularly liked one chapter towards the end where he acknowledged that he's not just the main character but he's also the author, writing a memoir, which necessarily is missing parts and has other bits glossed over, and he wonders if those missed parts serve a purpose, if the reader would understand certain things better or worse if he'd told us details sooner. It was a very interesting acknowledgement of the necessity of an unreliable narrator in all memoirs (or at least a narrator not interested in telling everything) and the difficulty of writing memoirs generally.
If you remember eating sweet corn in the summer and fishing in the creek and going camping with the Scouts and worrying if the girl you like will like you back, please take this lovely trip down memory lane. I promise, you won't regret it.
December 20, 2013
I can safely say this book was amazing. I enjoyed every minute of it. Every time I had free time, I spent it reading this book. It reminds me of my house in Michigan. It explains the country side perfectly. Every sentence is so detailed. When the setting is described, you feel as if you are standing in the filed of the country side, as the sun is setting, in the warm summer air. It gave me an amazing feeling as I went on with it. The fact that he lost is grandma was devastating. It was a good book for me to read at this time, being I just went through the same thing a few months ago. The fact him and his sister started drifting is very sad. I couldn't ever imagine drifting away from my siblings. It conveyed emotion so well. As I read, I felt Jeremy's emotion being transferred to me. I love how this book also tells us about his first love. It was adorable reading about how much he cared for a girl, at such a young age! Buying her the earrings was absolutely adorable! It was great how this book went into such detail about Christmas as well. It explained their exact Christmas routine, and it was fun to read! If you want a book that has tons of detail, and just makes you feel warm inside, I'd definitely choose this one. I recommended it to everyone. I most certainly did not regret reading this book! I might even read it again some time in the future.
August 7, 2013
This book is both completely ordinary and absolutely unique. It describes the events of a year in the author's childhood in rural Missouri, and while set in a specific time and place, it's full of almost universally relatable passages. Anyone who's experienced small-town or farm life, the loss of a grandparent, complicated sibling relationships, a mixture of joy and awkwardness at family gatherings, the love of a pet, the contained excitement of being snowed in, etc., etc., etc., will find something to relate to here. The language in this book is evocative and often unexpected--Jackson writes in first, second and third person at various times in the book, focusing on his impressions of events as a 10-year-old boy but not limiting himself to that point of view. Occasionally, I found those shifts a little jarring, but overall the book worked beautifully.
December 24, 2013
Marvelous. Jeremy's book, "Life at These Speeds" is one of my favorite books, and I was quite excited to see him release this memoir of his Midwestern childhood.
"I Will Not Leave You Comfortless" touches on those precious memories and experiences of adolescence and the purity of youth. Jeremy is a smart man, raised in a very educated and loving home, so there are numerous paragraphs that I could quote that would inspire others to read this, but I will go with the bit that is on the front of the book jacket.
Jeremy writes, "As I lay in bed, looking out at the frigid snowscape, I felt a sense of balance. I was situated neatly between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I sensed that if I could remain here forever, in this precise time and place, with this view, with this warmth, with the knowledge that my sisters and parents were all nearby, I would never be unhappy'
Few could avoid wanting to read on after such a striking passage. But even more striking is that the reader understands that Jeremy will not be situated in that manner forever, but as he grows, how will he cope with the understanding that a warm Christmas Eve calm ends in the blink of an eye and he must move forward in order to expand his understanding of his family as well as his own self?
I highly recommend!
"I Will Not Leave You Comfortless" touches on those precious memories and experiences of adolescence and the purity of youth. Jeremy is a smart man, raised in a very educated and loving home, so there are numerous paragraphs that I could quote that would inspire others to read this, but I will go with the bit that is on the front of the book jacket.
Jeremy writes, "As I lay in bed, looking out at the frigid snowscape, I felt a sense of balance. I was situated neatly between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I sensed that if I could remain here forever, in this precise time and place, with this view, with this warmth, with the knowledge that my sisters and parents were all nearby, I would never be unhappy'
Few could avoid wanting to read on after such a striking passage. But even more striking is that the reader understands that Jeremy will not be situated in that manner forever, but as he grows, how will he cope with the understanding that a warm Christmas Eve calm ends in the blink of an eye and he must move forward in order to expand his understanding of his family as well as his own self?
I highly recommend!
July 26, 2012
This moving memoir flows like an old, lazy river in the summer. Meandering through the memories of a 10-year-old boy, picking up speed as it encounters bolders and moss-encrusted snags, only to relapse into a sleepy crawl over deep, dark pools of wondering and admiration, this is a true tale drawn from one life but reminiscent of many. In his summer of memory, as Jeremy moves to his eleventh year, the loss of his grandmother to death and his sister to maturity become catalysts for his own growth into adolescence. From blackberry patches, to bicycle adventures, the threat of tornados to newly hatched chicks, this is a memory of good times spent with loving family and the summer of youth. Well-written and beautifully composed, the real wonder is how the author managed to remember his life in such vivid, sensual detail. Those of us with difficulty remembering our past can only shake our heads and envy such an ability. I am so glad I read this book.
May 4, 2013
I really like Jeremy Jackson's fiction, particularly Life At These Speeds, but holy shit was this boring. The reviews that say he beautifully describes a year growing up in the midwest are all totally accurate, but that is the extent of the achievement. NOTHING HAPPENS. I kept reading parts and thinking, "Oh man, now something terrible is going to happen..." but it never did. It felt like the setting for a good book, but without the plot that was necessary to make it engaging. So, go read Life At These Speeds instead. It's very good.
November 19, 2012
The writing was excellent! Able to see how this young boy changes as he faces his grandmother's illness and death and the struggles as a young one made to grow up faster than he should have too. Loved how they were enjoying life, the smells, the tastes, the love and how he notices the changes and how others around him deal with it as well. A great read.
January 9, 2015
A delightful memoir of Jeremy at 10 and 11. He is on the cusp of experiencing the angst of teenage years, but during this year, he still gets joy from the simplicity of life. He has his fear of harsh weather and his distaste for certain family rituals, however, he mostly likes his life, his family and his friends. Wishing it could be that way for everyone.
January 18, 2014
Beautifully shows the kinetic heartfelt energy of a normal kid during what will later be clear to him is a year of particular impact.
November 24, 2012
Beautiful writing. Story is intentionally slow-moving, which at times I loved...
June 24, 2015
This is a memoir about a childhood spent growing up in a small Midwestern town. Beautiful prose that reminded me of Iowa. However, it was a bit drawn out and dull.
April 24, 2013
I loved this book. Growing up in Missouri, the age of the eldest sister, the story was so real and true. I can't wait to read his other books.
November 3, 2013
I love memoirs and this one gets the full five stars. I loved Jeremy Jackson's writing style. I will definitely be reading his other books.
November 8, 2017
Sweet story of growing up in a family. Siblings, parents, grands, aunts, uncles, cousins living, making community.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews