Broome Wins Kirkus Prize!
November 1, 2021
Danielle Chiotti

We are thrilled to announce that Brian Broome's debut memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods (HMH/Mariner Books, 2021) is the winner of the 2021 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction. The judges had this to say of Broome's book: "This powerfully vulnerable and bleakly funny memoir reveals the author struggling to shake off the restrictive, frequently dangerous role of a gay, Black man in America. Broome resists an easy redemption narrative, showing instead how he gradually came to terms with internalized toxic masculinity. The judges were dazzled by the book’s unique structure, framed by Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem 'We Real Cool,' and by its self-lacerating but ultimately hopeful insights." 

Congratulations to Brian and to all of the 2021 Kirkus Prize winners!