The Ugly Cry

They say comedy equals tragedy plus time: This very funny account of an often miserable childhood is proof. --People What a strong, funny, heartbreaking memoir, with a voice that is completely its own (written by a woman who very much seems to be completely her own, as well.) I loved it.--Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love An uproarious, moving memoir about a grandmothers ferocious love and redefining what it means to be family If you fight that motherf**ker and you dont win, youre going to come home and fight me. Not the advice youd normally expect from your grandmotherbut Danielle Henderson would be the first to tell you her childhood was anything but conventional. Abandoned at ten years old by a mother who chose her drug-addicted, abusive boyfriend, Danielle was raised by grandparents who thought their child-rearing days had ended in the 1960s. She grew up Black, weird, and overwhelmingly uncool in a mostly white neighborhood in upstate New York, which created its own identity crises. Under the eye-rolling, foul-mouthed, loving tutelage of her uncompromising grandmotherand the horror movies she obsessively watchedDanielle grew into a tall, awkward, Sassy-loving teenager who wore black eyeliner as lipstick and was struggling with the aftermath of her mothers choices. But she also learned that she had the strength and smarts to save herself, her grandmother gifting her a faith in her own capabilities that the world would not have most Black girls possess. With humor, wit, and deep insight, Danielle shares how she grew up and grew wiseand the lessons shes carried from those days to these. In the process, she upends our conventional understanding of family and redefines its boundaries to include the millions of people who share her story.