The New York Times chose HEAVY as one of their 50 best memoirs of the past 50 years. It is, they write, “full of sharp, heart-rending thoughts about growing up black in the United States, and his fraught relationship with his body — Laymon’s weight has severely fluctuated over the years, a subject he plumbs with great sensitivity. This is a gorgeous, gutting book that’s fueled by candor yet freighted with ambivalence. It’s full of devotion and betrayal, euphoria and anguish.” Scribner published the book on October 16, 2018.