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A New York Times Notable Book | Lambda Literary Award Winner | Long-listed for the PEN Open Book Award

“Charles Blow is the James Baldwin of our age.” — Washington Blade

“[An] exquisite memoir . . . Delicately wrought and arresting.” — New York Times

Universally praised on its publication, Fire Shut Up in My Bones is a pioneering journalist’s indelible coming-of-age tale. 

Charles M. Blow’s mother was a fiercely driven woman with five sons, brass knuckles in her glove box, and a job plucking poultry at a factory near their segregated Louisiana town, where slavery's legacy felt close. When her philandering husband finally pushed her over the edge, she fired a pistol at his fleeing back, missing every shot, thanks to “love that blurred her vision and bent the barrel.” Charles was the baby of the family, fiercely attached to his “do-right” mother. Until one day that divided his life into Before and After—the day an older cousin took advantage of the young boy. The story of how Charles escaped that world to become one of America’s most innovative and respected public figures is a stirring, redemptive journey that works its way into the deepest chambers of the heart.

“Stunning . . . Blow’s words grab hold of you . . . [and] lead you to a place of healing.” — Essence

“The memoir of the year.” — A. V. Club

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books; Reprint edition (September 1, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0544570111
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0544570115
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.62 x 8 inches
Reviewer: Valerie Jensen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Complete Journey of Self-discovery
Review: As someone on a lifelong journey of acceptance and understanding Fire Shut up in My Bones touched my heart and my soul. To be so vulnerable and honest about the complexity of all human beings and the confines our upbringing cast upon us, was truly inspirational. As a Black man from the South to grapple with all he did and come out the other side proves the power of Black men. Thank you for amazing images and beautiful prose and pure strength.

Reviewer: Fred Bryan
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Real and liberating
Review: This book by Mr. Blow, was an emotional roller-coaster that exposed internal trauma that I believed was meant to be suppressed. I love this brother for sharing his story and perseverance in the African American experience where most black men are condemned for sharing such vulnerabilities. Thank you for a such a healing experience and to allow those of us that were victims to predators to continue to persevere!

Reviewer: Robert L. Polk
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great piece of work
Review: Great piece of work. Obviously the writing and telling his story in his brilliant way was wonderful. One can come away with several conclusions or overall ideas. I must say I enjoyed the essay in the Sun. NYT Week in Review more than reading the entire book. But it stimulated me to purchase and read the book. Some of the detail stories like his fraternity hazing days did not add to the larger picture. I am jubilant and tip my hat to Mr. Blow's accomplishments given his unusual journey as an African American man. He happens to be one of my favorite writers in the N.Y. Times and I quote him in the last chapter of my memoir, Crossing Barriers and Building Bridges. Can't wait for his next book.Robert L. Polk

Reviewer: Dario Dallalasta
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Lambda Literary Award-winning book & a stunning memoir by journalist Charles M. Blow
Review: A stunning memoir by journalist Charles M. Blow that sucked me in so deeply, I felt like I was living his life. In this Lambda Literary Award-winning book, Blow covers his hardscrabble upbringing in small-town Louisiana, bringing to life all his family's and town's trials and tribulations beautifully. However, once an older male cousin takes advantage of this young and precocious boy, everything seems to change. Outwardly, Charles excels in school and attends Grambling University on a full scholarship. (On a side note, the passages on rushing a college fraternity turn violent and gruesome when the brothers begin to haze the pledges; I shuddered more than once.) Inwardly though, Charles is torn when it comes to his sexuality. His acceptance of his bisexuality comes later in life, which makes it that much more rewarding. There were so many beautiful passages in this book that really stood out to me that I feel the need to quote: “I had to stop romanticizing the man I might have been and be the man that I was, not by neatly fitting other people’s definitions of masculinity or constructs of sexuality, but by being uniquely me—made in the image of God, nurtured by the bosom of nature, and forged in the fire of life… I had to stop running like the river, always wanting to be somewhere other than where I was, and just be the ocean—vast, deep, and exactly where it was always meant to be.""I had spent my whole life trying to fit in, but it would take the rest of my life to realize that some men are just meant to stand out. Whatever had shaped my identity, it was now all me. Trying to deny or control that fact was self-destructive. I would have to learn to simply relax and be: complex, betwixt and between, and absolutely all right. I would have to learn to accept myself joyfully, fully, as the amalgamation of both the gifts and the tragedies of fate, as the person destiny had chosen me to be—gloriously rendered, deeply scarred, magnificently made, naturally flawed—a human being, my own man." Beautifully written, right?

Reviewer: Alan Mills
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I have loved Charles Blow's columns in the New York Times for ...
Review: I have loved Charles Blow's columns in the New York Times for several years, but knew nothing about his background. His new autobiography s unbelievably honest, raw, and the writing is sublime.Born in an all black, impoverished tiny town in northern Louisiana, raped twice by relatives, he transformed himself into a hyper-masculine basketball star in high school, and in the frat world of college. But through it all, he continued to be at war with himself...both his sexuality, and his sense of never quite having a real self, apart from the masks he used to present himself to the world. His recounting of this process of maturing is an amazing story.My one concern is how little part race plays in the story. His story of always feeling like between two essences echoes DuBois' view that black men always carry this burden, because of the role race plays in America. But Blow does not mention this as a source of his confusion at all.True, Blow grew up in what was essentially an all black community, and attended an historically black college....but racism does sneak into the book a couple of times, so he was clearly not blind to its existence. I am unclear whether race really played such a small role in his life, or did he down play it....either for self-protection, or to avoid being labelled an "angry black man?" Impossible to know, and none of the reviews I've read address this issue.But that is a quibble. The book is fantastic. Read it, and draw your own conclusions.

Reviewer: r e fredrickson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Haven’t gotten to the Pithy part yet but there’s a charm in his style that’s enjoyable to read.

Reviewer: Dan Earle
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This is a very revealing and touching story. One really gets a feeling for how life was for people on the other side of the tracks. Expect this story can be repeated today and not necessarily in the deep south or just to people of color.

Reviewer: Sandi McCreight
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A lot of stories packed into a novel. Quick to switch to the next story. Interesting and loved the way it's written.

Reviewer: RedChairDiaries
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I now feel as if I have made his acquaintance. Some terrible personal events but beautifully rendered. The writing is stellar. Highly recommended.