The Blender Book Club discussion

The Blender's August selection is Kiese Laymon's 2018 book Heavy: An American Memoir. While the book delves into many aspects of Laymon's life as a Black man from the rural South, the emphasis is always on Laymon's physical body and the way it has affected or been affected by his experiences. Touching on themes of complicated parental relationships, eating disorders, gambling addiction, the American experience, and more, I expect this will be a powerful read that will stir up plenty of conversation.

If fate allows, we will plan to meet IN PERSON at the Schlafly Branch to discuss Heavy on Wednesday, August 18 at 6:30 pm. (Please note the slight time change!) I will let you know if anything changes before then.

In the meantime, please share your thoughts and notes here!

EDIT: See my first comment below.

Sorry to have misinformed you, but after some follow-up with my manager we've decided that, with the new mask mandate in place and things looking uncertain again, it would be best to wait another couple of months for an in-person meeting. 😔 Let's plan to try again in October. In the meantime, the virtual link will remain the same:

meet.google.com/ssk-ywba-syc

EDIT: The virtual discussion will start at 7 pm, as usual.

Zach, no worries -- waiting til in-person meetings are safer is best for all of us. Our virtual discussions have worked and we are grateful!

Is the time for the August meeting @ 6:30 or 7:00?

Finished the book yesterday-- still 'digesting' it, and am not qualified to speak on its issues in any case. Hope we get a good turnout for the discussion.

Geoffrey wrote: "Is the time for the August meeting @ 6:30 or 7:00?"

Sorry for the slow reply, Geoffrey. We'll plan to start the virtual discussion at 7:00, as usual.

Hi,
I won't make the meeting Wed. night, or be very late (doctor). I'll post some thoughts I had on it. I'd be interested in what others thought of the book.

I regret not making the meeting Wed. night. I am attending my school district's board of education meeting to monitor:
1 COVID
a masking
b real compared to virtual attendance
2 CRITICAL RACE THEORY
a the theory itself
b the 1619 Project addressed in Missouri HB 952
Meanwhile, from my goodreads review of Heavy:
I valued reading this book. I will note 2 features I especially appreciated:
1. Its structure: KL bookends the memoir with the chapters, Been and Bend, playing on pronunciaions - and the book ends, "I am just trying to put you where I bend I am just trying to put us where we bend."

2. One central theme in Heavy: A Memoir is self-control. As KL wrote to one of his fans, “The same ingredients are a part of all of us. They’re just shaped and distributed differently.”
So whatever form the self-control takes, weight, alcohol, drugs, athletics, work, task completion, ... - it's all a matter of self-control.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1) What are some of the major themes, threads, or questions Laymon presents in Heavy? What resonated most with you?

2) Why does Laymon choose to narrate the book to his mother? How would you characterize their relationship? Has the relationship progressed at all by the end?

3) Why do you think Laymon chooses to focus his book specifically on his body? What does this bodily focus allow him to say about the Black experience?

4) There is no one defining "struggle" in Heavy. The book deals with abusive parental relationships, poverty, sexual trauma, eating and exercise disorders, racism in academia, and gambling addiction, among other things. How do all these elements relate to one another? Did you find this all-inclusive approach effective or would you have preferred a narrower focus?

5) What sorts of conclusions does Laymon reach by the end of his book? Do any of these issues truly feel resolved, or do they remain open-ended? How has Laymon himself grown?

6) Aside from Kiese and his mother, who were some of the side "characters" who most interested or appealed to you?

7) Laymon is always sure to emphasize that he comes from Mississippi, and that his experiences are specifically Southern. Why do you think this distinction is important? How might this book be different if Laymon was a notherner?

8) The book is addressed to Laymon's mother, and Laymon also says he wants to write for Black people. On the other hand, his mother warns him that white people will read everything he publishes and use it against him (and Heavy has indeed become a prize-winner and bestseller). Who do you think this book is "for"?

9) What connections did you make between Heavy and other books you've read, whether for book club or on your own?

10) Would you recommend this book? Would you read another book by Laymon?