A01=Joel Leon
A01=Jol Leon
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Age Group_Uncategorized
Author_Joel Leon
Author_Jol Leon
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Black History Month
Black in America
Black masculinity
Bromance
Bronx
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=JBSF2
Category=JBSL1
Category=JFSJ2
Category=JFSL1
Category=JFSL3
Co-parenting
Coming of age
COP=United States
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
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eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
Equality
Hip-hop
Inspiration
Justice
Language_English
Male friendship
Masculinity
Memoir
Memoir in essays
Mental health
Motivation
New York City
PA=Available
Price_€20 to €50
PS=Active
Racism
Rap
separation
Single parent
softlaunch
Suicide
Vulnerability
Product details
- ISBN 9781250887108
- Weight: 388g
- Dimensions: 150 x 220mm
- Publication Date: 15 Jul 2024
- Publisher: Henry Holt & Company Inc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
- Language: English
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Growing up in the Bronx, Joél Leon was taught that being soft, being vulnerable, could end your life. Shaped by a singular view of Black masculinity espoused by the media, by family and friends, and by society, he learned instead to care about the gold around his neck and the number of bills in his wallet. He absorbed the “facts” that white was always right and Black men were seen as threatening or great for comic relief but never worthy of the opening credits. It wasn’t until years later that Joél understood he didn’t have to be defined by these things.
Now, in a collection of wide-ranging essays, he takes readers from his upbringing in the Bronx to his life raising two little girls of his own, unraveling those narratives to arrive at a deeper understanding of who he is as a son, friend, partner, and father. Traversing both the serious and lighthearted, from contemplating male beauty standards and his belly to his decision to seek therapy to the difficulties of making co-parenting work, Joél cracks open his heart to reveal his multitudes.
“I learned that being Black is an all-encompassing everything...To be Black, to be a Black man in the era I grew up in, was easily everything and nothing at once.“
Crafted like an album, each essay is a single that stands alone yet reverberates throughout the entire collection. Pieces like “How to Make a Black Friend.“ consider challenging, delightful and absurd moments in relationships, while others like “Sensitive Thugs All Need Hugs“ and “All Gold Everything“ ponder the collective harms of society's lens.
With incisive, searing prose, Everything and Nothing at Once deconstructs what it means to be a Black man in America.
Joél Leon, also known as Joél L. Daniels., is a performer and storyteller from the Bronx. Currently, he's a creative director at the New York Times' T Brand Studio. Joél specializes in leading conversations surrounding race, masculinity, mental health, and the performing arts. His TED Talk on healthy co-parenting has been viewed more than 1.6 million times. His essays have been featured in the New York Times, Ebony, the Independent, and more.
