Author Brian Broome's debut memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods is a coming-of-age story that explores perceptions of masculinity and his experience growing up Black and queer in a working-class community in Warren, Ohio. The title of the book harkens back to Broome's difficult and painful relationship with his father.
"My father used to say, 'I'm going to punch you up so high you'll go back to God, and God will have to remake you in the way that you're supposed to be,' " Broome says. "So this idea of masculinity was pervasive in my life, it was this pain really, that I could never live up to."
Author Brian Broome joins Cincinnati Edition to discuss Punch Me Up to the Gods.
A note that this conversation deals with issues of violence and sexual encounters that some listeners may find difficult to hear.
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