What do you think?
Rate this book
You Can't Get Rid Of Me: An adopted son’s search for family.
You will laugh and you will cry, but you won’t be able to put down You Can’t Get Rid Of Me, an unflinching reveal of growing up LGBTQ in the 1970s, and a quest for belonging. Jesse Scott’s memoir chronicles his 50-year search for his birth family, blending humor, resilience, and ancestry, offering hope and inspiration to all.
Do you know your roots? DNA results and a search for his birth family take author Jesse Scott on a wild and rocky pursuit of his past as he uncovers the truth one piece at a time, a journey that redefines his identity and reshapes his understanding of what family truly means.
Jesse and his biological brother Lee were adopted as children and led challenging lives—from a stint in a mental institution to sex work and addiction. After 50 years of looking for his birth parents, the technology of DNA and social media, plus a hearty tenacity, help solve the mystery of his birth, while creating new questions.
A story of survival told with humor, courage, and unsparing honesty. Reminiscent of Chris Rush’s The Light Years, Scott’s memoir is a triumph of the human spirit, offering hope to anyone who’s ever had to fight to be themselves.
Memoir LGBTQ Ancestry
This impressive first book effortlessly dances across time, beginning with the opening scene of Scott hunched over the computer, studying Ancestry.com. Despite growing up in a strict home while wrestling with his own queer identity and braving time in a mental hospital, sex work, and addiction, Scott never wavers. His courage to continue his quest for belonging is the beam of inspiration that makes this memoir intimate, comforting, and thought-provoking.
— Abby McCabe, Booklist
Jesse Scott’s debut memoir, You Can’t Get Rid of Me, is Augusten Burroughs’ Running with Scissors, with a touch of Scotty Bowers’ Full Service. Scott’s story of growing up a gay boy in the 1960s and 1970s, adopted by evangelical parents who committed him to an adult psychiatric institution, is both harrowing and triumphant. From surviving a pedophile foster dad, to becoming a gay escort in Hollywood, to eventually finding his birth family and Native American roots, Scott’s memoir is an inspiration to every queer kid forced to pretend to be someone else to survive. You’ll be cheering for Jesse by the end.
—Amber Fraley, author of Kansas GenExistential
Do you know your roots? DNA results and a search for his birth family take author Jesse Scott on a wild and rocky pursuit of his past as he uncovers the truth one piece at a time, a journey that redefines his identity and reshapes his understanding of what family truly means.
Jesse and his biological brother Lee were adopted as children and led challenging lives—from a stint in a mental institution to sex work and addiction. After 50 years of looking for his birth parents, the technology of DNA and social media, plus a hearty tenacity, help solve the mystery of his birth, while creating new questions.
A story of survival told with humor, courage, and unsparing honesty. Reminiscent of Chris Rush’s The Light Years, Scott’s memoir is a triumph of the human spirit, offering hope to anyone who’s ever had to fight to be themselves.
Memoir LGBTQ Ancestry
This impressive first book effortlessly dances across time, beginning with the opening scene of Scott hunched over the computer, studying Ancestry.com. Despite growing up in a strict home while wrestling with his own queer identity and braving time in a mental hospital, sex work, and addiction, Scott never wavers. His courage to continue his quest for belonging is the beam of inspiration that makes this memoir intimate, comforting, and thought-provoking.
— Abby McCabe, Booklist
Jesse Scott’s debut memoir, You Can’t Get Rid of Me, is Augusten Burroughs’ Running with Scissors, with a touch of Scotty Bowers’ Full Service. Scott’s story of growing up a gay boy in the 1960s and 1970s, adopted by evangelical parents who committed him to an adult psychiatric institution, is both harrowing and triumphant. From surviving a pedophile foster dad, to becoming a gay escort in Hollywood, to eventually finding his birth family and Native American roots, Scott’s memoir is an inspiration to every queer kid forced to pretend to be someone else to survive. You’ll be cheering for Jesse by the end.
—Amber Fraley, author of Kansas GenExistential
177 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2025
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 3, 2025
Jesse Scott offers a lens into growing up in the 1970s as an LGBTQIA+ individual searching for his family – both biological and his chosen family. From flashes to current day with Ancestry.com and Facebook tracing to finding himself as a young child dealt an unfair card, this book kept me wanting to continue reading, even into the early hours of the morning.
Scott’s honesty and genuine character regarding his mistakes he made in his childhood regarding drugs led me to see his growth as a person wanting to be better – a person who saw the ups and downs of life and held on through it all.
Searching for your origins, living during unprecedented times such as the AIDS epidemic, and finding your voice when the world’s worst horrors try to bring you down are all reasons for Jesse to have given up. Yet, his narrative to continue on, to live fully as an LGBTQIA+ individual, and to advocate for others was one that brought me to tears reading.
To be face to face with Jesse’s past and to read the intimate details was difficult as a queer individual; however, like other LGBTQIA+ narrative’s, his story deserves a place at the table and SHOULD be shared!!
A special thank you to Netgalley, Anamcara Press LLC, Jesse Scott, and Keri Ault for an ARC of this book!
4.5/5
Scott’s honesty and genuine character regarding his mistakes he made in his childhood regarding drugs led me to see his growth as a person wanting to be better – a person who saw the ups and downs of life and held on through it all.
Searching for your origins, living during unprecedented times such as the AIDS epidemic, and finding your voice when the world’s worst horrors try to bring you down are all reasons for Jesse to have given up. Yet, his narrative to continue on, to live fully as an LGBTQIA+ individual, and to advocate for others was one that brought me to tears reading.
To be face to face with Jesse’s past and to read the intimate details was difficult as a queer individual; however, like other LGBTQIA+ narrative’s, his story deserves a place at the table and SHOULD be shared!!
A special thank you to Netgalley, Anamcara Press LLC, Jesse Scott, and Keri Ault for an ARC of this book!
4.5/5
June 3, 2025
This book is a brutal, honest, and beautiful portrayal of what it means to grow up as an outsider. Jesse’s story is that of a boy—sensitive, searching, and full of questions—who becomes a man hardened and shaped by the relentless challenges life throws his way. From rejection to heartbreak, he endures it all with a strength that demands respect. It’s a testament to the resilience required to grow up gay in a world that too often says you don’t belong. Jesse proves that survival isn’t just about endurance—it’s about defiance, too. And above all, it’s a message to anyone who ever tried to silence him: you can’t get rid of him.
September 3, 2025
I could not put this book down. At its core this book is about belonging and acceptance. While we all have different lived experiences, this book taps into those inner human desires for connection. This memoir shares the story of one person's journey through adoption, growing up gay, searching for one's roots, and persevering to overcome a lot of trauma and emerging stronger and more resilient. Truly inspiring!
June 21, 2025
This book is an amazing portrayal of resilience and strength on Jesse Scott’s part. The book is a beautiful, heartbreaking and uplifting story of Jesse’s life. Highly recommend reading this!
May 11, 2025
Book Review: You Can’t Get Rid Of Me: An Adopted Son’s Search for Family
by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault
Jesse Scott and Keri Ault’s You Can’t Get Rid Of Me is a raw and deeply moving memoir that chronicles an adoptee’s relentless quest for identity, belonging, and reconciliation with a fractured past. Blending vulnerability with unflinching honesty, the authors craft a narrative that is as much a personal catharsis as it is a universal exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of familial bonds. The book transcends the confines of a traditional adoption story, offering readers a window into the emotional turbulence of searching for roots in a world where biological and chosen families collide.
Narrative Structure and Style (4.5/5)
The memoir unfolds with a nonlinear rhythm, mirroring the fragmented nature of memory and the protagonist’s disjointed journey. Scott’s voice is visceral and immediate, oscillating between poignant reflection and sharp, almost conversational candor. Ault’s contributions—likely as co-author or editor—lend structural cohesion, ensuring the narrative’s emotional peaks and valleys resonate without overwhelming the reader. While some sections could benefit from tighter transitions, the organic flow ultimately reinforces the authenticity of Scott’s lived experience. The prose is accessible yet evocative, balancing stark realism with moments of lyrical tenderness.
Characterization and Emotional Resonance (5/5)
Scott emerges as a profoundly relatable yet singular figure—his struggles with abandonment, identity, and self-worth are rendered with such specificity that they transcend the adoption narrative to touch on broader human yearnings. The secondary characters, from biological relatives to adoptive family members, are sketched with nuance, avoiding reductive villainy or saintliness. Their interactions with Scott reveal the messy, often painful dynamics of love and obligation. The memoir’s greatest strength lies in its emotional honesty; scenes of rejection, tentative connection, and hard-won self-acceptance linger long after reading.
Themes and Philosophical Undercurrents (5/5)
You Can’t Get Rid Of Me excels in its exploration of:
Identity and Belonging: The tension between genetic legacy and nurtured bonds, and whether “family” is inherited or forged.
Resilience and Vulnerability: How trauma shapes but does not wholly define a life, and the courage required to confront unresolved pain.
Forgiveness and Closure: The blurred line between reconciliation with others and reconciliation with the self.
The authors avoid easy resolutions, instead inviting readers to sit with the discomfort of unanswered questions. The title itself becomes a haunting refrain—a declaration of persistence against erasure, whether by societal neglect, systemic adoption flaws, or personal demons.
Critique and Considerations
While the memoir’s emotional depth is unparalleled, some readers may crave more contextual framing (e.g., broader adoption statistics or cultural critiques) to anchor Scott’s story within larger systemic issues. The nonlinear structure, though effective, occasionally obscures chronological clarity. Those seeking a strictly linear, resolution-driven narrative might find the introspection demanding—but this is a minor quibble for a work that prioritizes emotional truth over tidy arcs.
Final Rating: 4.9/5
You Can’t Get Rid Of Me is a triumph of memoir writing—a book that aches, challenges, and ultimately uplifts. Jesse Scott and Keri Ault have crafted a testament to the human spirit’s capacity to endure and seek light amid darkness. This memoir will resonate not only with adoptees and their families but with anyone who has grappled with the question of where—and to whom—they truly belong.
Acknowledgments: My sincere gratitude to the authors and publishers for bringing this powerful story into the world. Engaging with such an unvarnished and transformative work has been a privilege, and I eagerly await future contributions from Scott and Ault. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a review copy of this book!
Note: This review focuses on thematic and emotional analysis; specific plot details are omitted to preserve the reader’s journey of discovery.
by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault
Jesse Scott and Keri Ault’s You Can’t Get Rid Of Me is a raw and deeply moving memoir that chronicles an adoptee’s relentless quest for identity, belonging, and reconciliation with a fractured past. Blending vulnerability with unflinching honesty, the authors craft a narrative that is as much a personal catharsis as it is a universal exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of familial bonds. The book transcends the confines of a traditional adoption story, offering readers a window into the emotional turbulence of searching for roots in a world where biological and chosen families collide.
Narrative Structure and Style (4.5/5)
The memoir unfolds with a nonlinear rhythm, mirroring the fragmented nature of memory and the protagonist’s disjointed journey. Scott’s voice is visceral and immediate, oscillating between poignant reflection and sharp, almost conversational candor. Ault’s contributions—likely as co-author or editor—lend structural cohesion, ensuring the narrative’s emotional peaks and valleys resonate without overwhelming the reader. While some sections could benefit from tighter transitions, the organic flow ultimately reinforces the authenticity of Scott’s lived experience. The prose is accessible yet evocative, balancing stark realism with moments of lyrical tenderness.
Characterization and Emotional Resonance (5/5)
Scott emerges as a profoundly relatable yet singular figure—his struggles with abandonment, identity, and self-worth are rendered with such specificity that they transcend the adoption narrative to touch on broader human yearnings. The secondary characters, from biological relatives to adoptive family members, are sketched with nuance, avoiding reductive villainy or saintliness. Their interactions with Scott reveal the messy, often painful dynamics of love and obligation. The memoir’s greatest strength lies in its emotional honesty; scenes of rejection, tentative connection, and hard-won self-acceptance linger long after reading.
Themes and Philosophical Undercurrents (5/5)
You Can’t Get Rid Of Me excels in its exploration of:
Identity and Belonging: The tension between genetic legacy and nurtured bonds, and whether “family” is inherited or forged.
Resilience and Vulnerability: How trauma shapes but does not wholly define a life, and the courage required to confront unresolved pain.
Forgiveness and Closure: The blurred line between reconciliation with others and reconciliation with the self.
The authors avoid easy resolutions, instead inviting readers to sit with the discomfort of unanswered questions. The title itself becomes a haunting refrain—a declaration of persistence against erasure, whether by societal neglect, systemic adoption flaws, or personal demons.
Critique and Considerations
While the memoir’s emotional depth is unparalleled, some readers may crave more contextual framing (e.g., broader adoption statistics or cultural critiques) to anchor Scott’s story within larger systemic issues. The nonlinear structure, though effective, occasionally obscures chronological clarity. Those seeking a strictly linear, resolution-driven narrative might find the introspection demanding—but this is a minor quibble for a work that prioritizes emotional truth over tidy arcs.
Final Rating: 4.9/5
You Can’t Get Rid Of Me is a triumph of memoir writing—a book that aches, challenges, and ultimately uplifts. Jesse Scott and Keri Ault have crafted a testament to the human spirit’s capacity to endure and seek light amid darkness. This memoir will resonate not only with adoptees and their families but with anyone who has grappled with the question of where—and to whom—they truly belong.
Acknowledgments: My sincere gratitude to the authors and publishers for bringing this powerful story into the world. Engaging with such an unvarnished and transformative work has been a privilege, and I eagerly await future contributions from Scott and Ault. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a review copy of this book!
Note: This review focuses on thematic and emotional analysis; specific plot details are omitted to preserve the reader’s journey of discovery.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews