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15 Authors like Brian Broome

Brian Broome is an acclaimed author known for his insightful memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods. His honest storytelling explores themes of identity, race, and sexuality, offering readers a powerful perspective on contemporary experiences and issues.

If you enjoy reading books by Brian Broome then you might also like the following authors:

  1. Kiese Laymon

    Kiese Laymon writes honestly and lyrically about race, identity, and family relationships. His memoir, Heavy, narrates his experiences growing up Black in Mississippi and tackles trauma, body image, and the complexities of familial love.

    If you appreciate Brian Broome’s sincerity and introspection, you'll connect with Laymon’s powerful voice.

  2. Saeed Jones

    Saeed Jones combines poetic precision with deep emotional insight. His memoir, How We Fight for Our Lives, explores his upbringing as a young, gay Black man in the South. It's an intimate exploration of identity, sexuality, and belonging.

    Like Broome, Jones writes openly and unapologetically about personal truths.

  3. James Baldwin

    James Baldwin uses thoughtful prose and sharp observations to uncover truths about race, sexuality, and identity. His book, Giovanni's Room, portrays a man’s struggle with his sexuality and his sense of self.

    Baldwin’s writing is deeply human, observant, and emotionally powerful, much like Broome’s approach.

  4. Ta-Nehisi Coates

    Ta-Nehisi Coates brings clarity and depth to discussions of race, history, and American identity. In his book, Between the World and Me, he writes in the form of a letter to his son, dealing directly and personally with systemic racism and violence against Black bodies.

    His style has a reflective, intimate quality readers of Brian Broome will appreciate.

  5. Roxane Gay

    Roxane Gay writes candidly and thoughtfully about identity, race, feminism, and the body. Her memoir, Hunger, explores her complex relationship with her body following childhood trauma.

    Gay's honest, unflinching style and openness echo themes many readers admire in Brian Broome's work.

  6. Ocean Vuong

    Ocean Vuong writes with powerful intimacy and emotional openness. His writing often explores identity, family dynamics, and the experience of growing up queer and immigrant in America.

    His novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, is told through letters from a young man to his mother, capturing their complicated relationship and the hardships of self-discovery and acceptance.

  7. Bryan Washington

    Bryan Washington's style blends warmth, humor, and honesty to explore the connections formed in complicated urban landscapes. He brings vibrant characters and real-life complexities to the page, exploring themes of sexuality, race, love, and friendship.

    His novel Memorial follows Benson and Mike, a queer interracial couple navigating their relationship, family obligations, and personal growth in a sharply observed story set in Houston.

  8. Garrard Conley

    Garrard Conley confronts tough issues like identity, faith, and sexuality in his deeply personal, honest storytelling.

    His memoir Boy Erased recounts his painful experience in conversion therapy and his struggle with religious identity and family expectations, offering readers a thoughtful perspective on acceptance and self-discovery.

  9. Tressie McMillan Cottom

    Tressie McMillan Cottom thoughtfully examines the intersections between race, gender, class, and culture in a smart yet approachable way. With direct, nuanced insights, her essays uncover societal inequities and share her personal experiences.

    Her collection Thick: And Other Essays tackles everything from education to beauty standards, challenging readers to reconsider their assumptions.

  10. Danez Smith

    Danez Smith pours raw emotion into vivid, lyrical poetry, confronting issues of race, sexuality, identity, and social injustice. Smith's powerful work delivers a passionate, unflinching depiction of queer Black experiences in America.

    Their poetry collection Don't Call Us Dead captures grief, resilience, desire, and activism with stunning honesty, beauty, and urgency.

  11. Justin Torres

    Justin Torres writes with a poetic and deeply emotional voice, exploring complex family dynamics, sexuality, and identity. His book We the Animals tells the story of three brothers facing difficult family situations and the pains of growing up.

    Torres has a talent for capturing intense emotions in short, powerful prose.

  12. Carmen Maria Machado

    Carmen Maria Machado crafts imaginative stories that examine gender, sexuality, and the strangeness within everyday life. Her memoir, In the Dream House, explores an abusive queer relationship in inventive and unexpected ways.

    Machado uses vivid language and sharp insight to make difficult topics approachable and unforgettable.

  13. Hanif Abdurraqib

    Hanif Abdurraqib blends personal essays with cultural critiques to reflect on music, race, and identity in America. His essay collection They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us shows his skill in connecting his personal experiences with broader cultural observations.

    Abdurraqib's writing is thoughtful, passionate, and deeply relatable.

  14. Robert Jones Jr.

    Robert Jones Jr.'s storytelling brings stunning humanity and poetic sensibility to narratives about love and resilience amid harsh historical realities.

    His novel The Prophets tells the moving story of two enslaved men who find love and comfort in each other despite unimaginable brutality and prejudice. Jones pairs lyrical prose with heartfelt empathy that makes his storytelling powerful and deeply moving.

  15. George M. Johnson

    George M. Johnson writes openly and honestly about identity, race, sexuality, and growing up queer. Their memoir-manifesto All Boys Aren't Blue speaks candidly and courageously about the struggles (and the joys) they faced as a Black queer youth.

    Johnson's direct and genuine storytelling style offers readers both insight and comfort.