ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My literary agent, Charlotte Sheedy, has had faith in me from the beginning. Her support ensured that I was able to write this book under the best possible circumstances. Equally important, Jonathan Cox—my patient, lovely editor at Simon & Schuster—is simply one of the most brilliant people I have ever gotten to work alongside. He has been my champion and lodestar throughout this process. Thank you to the many, many people at Simon & Schuster who have contributed to this book’s journey. Thank you to the wonderful folks at The Tuesday Agency. Thank you, Sam Hall and Karisma Price.

Thank you to my grandmother and the rest of my family for trusting me to tell my truth as best I could. Thank you, Aunt Janet; I love you more than the air I breathe. Thank you to my chosen family for reminding me again and again that, though the work was daunting, I was never alone. Isaac Fitzgerald. Ellen Claycomb. Lukas Thoms. Christopher Jerrolds. Teddy Goff. Marc Dones. Marlon James. David Speer. Adam Ellis. Benj Pasek. Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah. Angel Nafis. Morgan Parker. Danez Smith. Kiese Laymon. Syreeta McFadden. Adam Falkner. Alexander Chee.

Thank you to my therapist, David Witten.

Thank you, Sarah Schulman, for being the earliest reader of what would become chapters of this book.

Thank you to my mentors: Rigoberto Gonzalez. Tayari Jones. Patricia Smith. Roxane Gay. Ben Smith. Shani Hilton. Sally Squibb. Kelly Reames. Tom Hunley.