A rollercoaster of a poetic memoir about risking it all for the highs and lows of living.
In 2010, J. Blake McBride escaped the doomsday cult she was born into in the middle of the night, with $21 and no shoes on, and came out of the closet at the same time. Leaving meant losing her family, her community, and every version of herself she'd been taught to become. A decade later, she wrote her life story into Strange Grief, a hopeful, devastating, vivid poetry collection for anyone who's ever had to start over with nothing but idealism and a stubborn will to live.
Readers of Tara Westover and Emily Austin will find comfort and hope amidst the horror. Strange Grief is equal parts heartbreak and humor, exploring disenfranchised grief in its many forms: estrangement, poverty, queer identity, bad decisions, impossible love, and missing people who are still alive. This is a book for anyone who knows that sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is ruin your life on purpose so you can finally start living it.