Customer Reviews

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted: A Memoir

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

E. Lynn Harris is a great fiction writer, which sometimes makes the transition to fact difficult. But his life story, which represents triumph of the spirit and determination to overcome obstacles is a true winner.
The book opens in the early 1990's, prior to Harris's success as an author, and uses an attempted suicide as a starting point for this biography. It's a chilling opening, but it sets the tone for many of the harsh realities presented by Harris.
An early childhood filled with abuse, teenage years spent questioning sexuality, and lifelong battles with depression certainly aren't the stuff of happy memories, yet Harris raises his many issues with clarity and purpose.
The two sections of Harris's life that make for the most gripping reading are his college experiences and his battles with depression. The college years are both funny and heartbreaking, and Harris is at his best when presenting this type of material. His entry and rise up the leadership rung of his college fraternity make for the best reading, if only because they are cast against a backdrop of his emerging sexuality (and the challenges that raises as a Greek), and his role as the first male cheerleader at the University of Alabama (which gives Harris an opportunity to tell some great stories). His battles with depression are significant as he comes to grasp with the fact that his depression is chemical based, and not the result of (as he believed) his issues with his sexuality. This portion of the book really hits the reader hard, and his overall success in treatment truly warms the heart.
Anyone familiar with Harris's successes as an author know how the story ends - he has become incredibly successful, and happy with who he is, which is the ultimate triumph of this book. Fans of his fiction will enjoy getting to know the real E. Lynn Harris - and fans of autobiographies should also enjoy this gritty yet warm story.

In an emotional, heart-pulling introduction and first chapter, we are given an in-depth look into the real world of E. Lynn Harris, not the glamorized life many of his fans will assume that he's led. WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKENHEARTED is the highly acclaimed and much anticipated release of the summer. It's a tell-all on the life of an award-winning author who started out self-publishing and has continuously reached new heights writing about relationships between gay and bi-sexual men. We are now able to find out more about the young child and man prior to what we hear about today and have read in the bios that accompany his books.

Opening with his suicide attempt in 1990, Harris immediately shows us that his life is very different from the wealthy characters he writes about. He tells of how even at a time in which he was ready to give up living, he was able to come back from "rock-bottom" through his faith in God as well as the support of friends and family. Without delay, he grabs the reader's attention and then takes you back in time as he shares about his childhood and growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The first experience he shares is Easter 1964. He is dressed up in his new jacket and is excited about giving his Easter speech before the church congregation. His happiness is quickly shattered when his father Ben rips apart his new jacket, verbally demeans him and calls him a sissy. He doesn't quite understand that while his two sisters can proudly twirl around and display their Easter outfits, it's not befitting for a young boy to do the same. This just one of the scenes he shares about life at the hands of his physically abusive father. He spends much of his childhood in fear of Ben, wondering how a father can be so cruel to his own son; while at the same time sensing that he's different. This sets the stage for a low self-esteem and the need to begin pretending to be something he isn't.

WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKENHEARTED takes us from the time Harris is a child through his young adult life. He shares his fears, his desire to be in a loving relationship, and his realization that he does prefer men to women; despite his attempts otherwise. Through his candid and honest recount of those times in his life, we learn of his fight with depression, the abusive relationships he's had the misfortune to suffer through and the make-believe world he built around himself to hide not only his poor upbringing, but also his sexual preference.

His job after college working with IBM and the success he attained in a position that not many other black men held showed his tenacity and perseverance to reach the dreams of success that he put in place as a child back in Arkansas. In spite of this, Harris was often left with a broken heart falling into depression, alcoholism, and the continued closet-lifestyle of a gay man unable to admit it.

It saddened me reading that one of my favorite authors had suffered so much heartache, but it brought me joy to read of the lessons he's passing on to others. In his memoir, we're able to see him in a more human light; no longer comparing him to his characters. The lessons he shares should do well in showing others the importance of appreciating yourself, being strong in your faith, valuing friendships, being secure in who you are as a person-even if it is different from the role in which society tries to place you, and knowing that your life is yours to live without pretense or being ashamed of your past. I'll sum it up by saying...the brokenhearted can survive, dream, and move on to claim not only success, but happiness.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Fans of the "E" Man (as I call him) are allowed into the personal life of this wonderful author and man....difficult to read at times, this is a very emotional story of the difficulties facing men, specifically Black men, who are gay in a world that offers up enough obstacles to those who are straight.

I have long been a fan of E. Lynn Harris, and I will admit to some disappointment when I found that his newest work was an autobiography; ironically, he even makes reference in the book to the fact that many of his fans may be disappointed. You won't be!

Follow "Lynn" from his childhood days in Arkansas, at the hands of his abusive stepfather....see the love showered on him from his family....walk with him through his college days, and be proud of his academic achievements....and cry throughout, as he struggles to find romantic love....from any sex....and struggles with the fact that he is, truly, gay.

I cried many times throughout this book, but I find true solace and irony in the fact that the same man who struggled with alcoholism and depression in his quest to find love is loved by so many the world over today.

God Bless you, "Lynn......."

Courageous, admirable, heartfelt, heart warming, emotional. All of these adjectives I would use to describe the memoirs of E. Lynn Harris. Mr. Harris has taken a great step in life, writing down his life for the entire world to see and make comment on and that takes tremendous courage. I can only hope for him, that this is a liberating experience and some of the demons that have fought him have finally turned him loose. Usually not an avid fan of his fictional writing, this chronological autobiography has allowed me to understand more of his fiction and the need that he has for its writing. Totally inspirational, I've garnered a new respect for this caring, spirited man.

The title alone compelled me to read. To think, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted really is captivating. So many people walk around life with a seemingly perfect outer shell, inside is totally in a shambles. Without an outlet to express oneself, we can easily become brokenhearted and disillusioned. Harris experienced this many times during his life starting with an abusive step father, continuing with a short reunion with his father, his seemingly inability to fit in at school, attempted suicide and general unhappiness with his life. It seems that he spent over half of his life looking for someone to love him and seeking ways in which to love himself, while those of us who would look at him would see IBM Executive, a workingman driving around in the latest greatest car, always on top of his game. Many times this search proved tearful for both author and reader. I found this memoir to be elegantly written and riveting.

I applaud Mr. Harris. He's shared a part of his soul with the world and I appreciate his efforts. I hope he has found the writing to be therapeutic and those of us who read, take away valuable lessons of understanding, tolerance and hope that people can overcome obstacles and achieve what they themselves find appropriate. There is a great and uplifting lesson to be learned within the pages of What Becomes of the Brokenhearted. You can overcome adversity and arrive at achievement. You Go Boy!

I really enjoyed this book, It read like a movie. I hope this book sets a trend for many other life stories involving black aletrnative lifestyles beside the stereotypcial bed-hopping, flaming tragedies that occurs in the gay lifestyle. Harris tells an honest, riveting, simplistic and heart tugging account of his life from boyhood to adulthood and battling what we all face: the pains of finding and holding onto and losing love. Just wished there were more grit and desciptions of his love life. But it's still a good read.

I must admit, I was not a fan of E. Lynn Harris. I have heard of him, but I never read any of his books. I just wasn't interested. I ended up reading two of his books, and became an instant fan. When he came out with this book "What becomes... ", I really didn't want to read it. I wanted to borrow it from someone and read it, which is rare, cause I love collecting novels. But, the bookclub that I joined (Blackexpressions.com) sent me this book (I didn't order it at all). I was about to send it back to them, when something told me to just go ahead and read it. I couldn't put the book down, there were things about E. Lynn Harris, that touched me. Because in many ways we have lots in common. I'm not gay or anything, but what he's gone through when it came to looking for love and self esteem and everything else in between, I saw myself. I ended up emailing E. Lynn Harris about this book, and hopefully he'll read my email and email me back. But please, please, please go out and get this book. It is so inspirational, whether you are gay or straight. Make sure you have a box of tissues with you.

The title of Harris' memoir would lead a reader to believe that Harris will be sharing a journey. He doesn't do this, but rather belabors the many downs of his pre-1991 life and then tacks on an epilogue from 2003 about how much better things are now. Case in point, we wander through 200+ pages of a book reading about how desperate the author is for love, and getting detailed stories of the men he loved who treated him shabbily. Then we are told in the 2003 epilogue, "I have love in my life, that's all you need to know," and that he's been with the same undiscussed, undescribed partner for a decade. Similarly, after witnessing his aimlessness and detachment from various jobs, we see only the very beginning of his writing career before the memoir stops, then we find out in the tacked-on epilogue that he's sold millions of books. Why can't we go along for the ride?

As usual, Harris' writing is largely unimaginative but the subject matter was intriguing enough to keep me turning pages. Leaving the reader with an entire missing DECADE in a memoir, however, is hardly good writing.

E. Lynn Harris gives the reader a thorough background understanding of where he was born, to whom, and his struggles to overcome feelings of inferiority & insecurity. What's missing is how he became a writer and what drove him to write. Most of his adult career was as an IBM and computer sales rep, which was a surprise, but it's not until near the end that he discusses writing and publishing.

The first half of the book is very engrossing, as he talks about his two fathers and his mother. But the second half does not divulge much about the man. He discusses going to college, dating, and successes as a school office holder. His homosexuality is widely known. He recounts chance encounters, pickups, lovers, heartbreaks, it's almost like reading a romance novel. Surprisingly, he glazes over the AIDS epidemic and how it effected he and his friends. Only 1 page is devoted to AIDS. The second part could have been more poetic and in-depth.

I READ THIS BOOK IN 1 1/2 DAYS AND IT WAS WONDERFUL.. IT MADE ME SMILE AND CRY AT THE SAME TIME. I LOVE E. LYNN TRULY TO MY HEART, THIS BOOK WILL BE REFERRED OVER AND OVER BY ME. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT A PERSON HAS BEEN THROUGH. THIS BOOK MADE ME WANT TO SHOUT AND HOLLER WITH THE HOLY GHOST. I FELT LIKE I HAD BEEN REBORN AGAIN.. I WANT TO THANK E. LYNN FOR WRITING THIS BOOK, AND IT MAKES ME HAVE COURAGE TO GO AND GET MY WANTS AND DREAMS.. ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE HOMOPHOBIC AND I TELL THEM, T0 LOOSEN UP AND LIVE A LITTLE... E. LYNN I THANK YOU FOR HAVING THE COURAGE TO WRITE THIS BOOK AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK...
I LOVE YOU SINCERLY.... THANKS FOR GIVING ME THE HOPE, STRENGTH AND WISDOM AND THE AMBITION TO DREAM.
SINCERLY
LOVING FAN
T. LITTLE

E. Lynn Harris's novels about black middle class homosexual and heterosexual life have captured the fancy of thousands of readers. His success is remarkable because his honesty about gay, bisexual and "confused" African American men hasn't turned off women readers and has sparked discussion about male secrecy, sex and lies.

Many of his readers, myself among them, have wondered about the relationship between Harris and Raymond Tyler, the protagonist of his first novel and some of his subsequent work. Because the novels are written in such a straightforward, conversational tone, it's easy to imagine that the author is telling his own thinly-veiled story.

With his new memoir, WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKENHEARTED, Harris both dispels and confirms the questions about whether or not Raymond is really his doppelganger. As Harris tells it, Raymond's perfect middle class upbringing with loving parents is a far cry from his humbler and, often, more cruel beginnings. But the character's life experiences closely mirror those of the author's adult life, including their search for love, sex, and a path out of depression.

Like his popular novels, Harris's memoir is a page-turner that feels more like a long, confessional letter or an all-night conversation. Its principle merits are as a record of the modern gay black man's experience and an insider text for his legions of fans.

Having read all of Harris's novels, I was very curious about the who's who aspect of his memoir and pleased to meet some of the real-life people who inspired his fictional characters. However, his conversational style was sometimes disappointing because the memoir occasionally fails to fully explore various experiences. And while it seems he wrote some of the last pages earlier this year, Harris chooses to keep some secrets to himself. Unfortunately for the reader, he only hints at the happiness he has found in the last decade and keeps those tales undercover.

His honesty about battling depression and "lying Lynn" are also important aspects of his story. As his novels forced women to face facts about male sexuality and gave gay black men their own serial, his memoir will help raise the veil from the issue of depression.

Harris's first nonfiction work will likely be another book club and talkabout hit. Hopefully, it will also open hearts and minds as his novels have for the last decade.

--- Reviewed by Bernadette Adams Davis