TAYLOR HARRIS is a writer, wife, and mom of three who lives in Richmond, Virginia. Her work has appeared in TIME, The New York Times, O Quarterly, The Washington Post, Longreads, The Cut, SELF, Romper, Parents, McSweeney's, and other publications.
Winner of the Clara Johnson Award
Hurston Wright Legacy Award Nominee
Finalist for the Library of Virginia's Literary Awards
Finalist for the 2023 Southern Book Prize
A Washington Post Best Nonfiction Book of the Year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, A Best Book of the Year
Named a Most Anticipated Title by Essence, Electric Literature, &
The Millions
"Taylor Harris has masterfully captured the wonder and weight of
the endurance race that is motherhood. Mothering in the face of
illness and uncertainty as a Black woman is downright Olympian.
Harris' beautiful, crisp prose drew me right into her family's
journey. Their story is heart-wrenching, hopeful, and truly
unforgettable." —Deesha Philyaw, author The Secret Lives of Church
Ladies
“Harris’s prose hugs readers like lifelong confidants, transforming
them into inner-circle champions of her graceful fight . . . The
memoir dedicates important space to the numbing bureaucracy that
often accompanies medical visits, particularly as seen through the
eyes of a Black woman in the South. Having moved often within white
neighborhoods and educational institutions around her home in
Charlottesville, Harris is unflinching about her periodic unease in
those quarters . . . Harris also brings humor to bear in moments of
great adversity.” —Karen Iris Tucker, The Washington Post
"In her debut book, she carefully collects the pearls of experience
and strings them together in a wide-ranging and profound memoir,
exploring her relationship with God—first as an anxious child and
then as a concerned mother—but also her frustrations as a Black
woman seeking answers from a dismissive establishment, alongside
daily struggles any parent would find familiar." —Lorraine Berry,
Los Angeles Times
"An affecting, razor-sharp debut . . . This Boy We Made blows up
the stale formulas of trauma memoir, implicating us in Harris’s
most intimate and terrifying moments, and those of her family, with
candor and cool precision . . . This Boy We Made not only reflects
broader social reckonings, it is itself a reckoning, illuminating
inequities entrenched not only within our justice system, but also
within seemingly neutral institutions, such as health care. Mostly,
it’s a scrupulous, moving read that deserves a wide audience, one
inspired to push for change in a plethora of arenas." —Hamilton
Cain, The Boston Globe
“Powerful . . . With stunning insight and raw accountability,
Harris dips into her own past to reveal her fear that she is the
cause of [her son's] condition . . . This Boy We Made emerges as a
profound portrait of not only Harris’ love for her family but also
her courage. The courage required to keep moving forward in the
face of not knowing, to have a third child when a medical mystery
surrounds her second, to uproot her family so Paul can pursue his
calling to preach. And the courage Harris possesses to ensure
nobody in her family lives half a life.” —Leah Tyler, The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution
"This candid and sensitive debut lovingly describes the
heartwrenching story of mothering a child who becomes inexplicably
ill and the challenges of navigating racism, parenting traditions
and science in seeking to make him well." —Karla Strand, Ms.
Magazine
"Gripping . . . With tender, evocative prose, the author executes a
daunting undertaking: to floodlight the intersection of two
'burdens—Black and undiagnosed—in a world that is comfortable with
neither.' The result is alternately heartwarming and enraging."
—Maddie Bender, Scientific American
"Heartbreaking and hopeful memoir . . . [T]his is ultimately a
deeply human (and, at times, for-real funny) story about surviving
the unexpected, and it doesn’t get more relatable than that."
—SELF, A Best Book of the Year
"A crucial examination of the challenges of raising a Black son in
America and how the healthcare industry fails people of color,
Harris’s debut memoir is so much more than the story of a
perplexing medical mystery." —PureWow
"A searingly honest biography that portrays the unbreakable bond of
a mother and a child in the face of the unknown." —Cheryl S. Grant,
BET
“A radiantly urgent look at the way the American medical system has
treated—and continues to treat—Black women and Black mothers, this
stirring memoir shows Harris discovering a vital secret about her
own chemical makeup that changes the way she thinks about the
mysterious illness affecting her toddler. As moving as it is
educational about the emotional and physical repercussions of
endurance, this memoir explores the stamina it takes to
successfully navigate medical bureaucracy, systemic racism, and the
churning seas of motherhood.” —Courtney Maum, Literary Hub
"Perfectly made and frighteningly fragile . . . Through a carefully
constructed history, Harris unearths the story of a boy and a
family, and asks what it means to be imperfect but still whole. The
story of her family’s diagnostic odyssey weaves from the unique to
the universal . . . Harris’s writing defies generalization . . . We
would all do well to listen to the experiences of those living with
chronic illness. Reading This Boy We Made made me a better doctor.
It will make you better, too." —Chaya Nautiyal Mural, The
Rumpus
"Taylor Harris beautifully and heartbreakingly describes how [a
mother's] fear struck like a lightning bolt when her son Tophs
began to experience a string of health issues that baffled medical
experts . . . Harris [...] tells her story with raw candor and wit
. . . This Boy We Made is many books in one, combining elements of
science and medicine, mental health and wellness, parenting
principles and institutional racism. Fusing all these themes
together in an entertaining and thoughtful way would seem an
exhausting task, yet Harris does it with honesty and grace. With
descriptive, poetic prose, her authentic message commands the
reader's full attention." —Becky Libourel Diamond, BookPage
"Get your tissues ready: This is a gorgeous, heart-squeezing story
of motherhood, family, and faith . . . It’s a beautiful story of a
mother’s love for her son, and how the ordeal changed her."
—Liberty Hardy, Book Riot
"[A] stunning debut . . . Heartfelt and raw . . . Out of that
uncertainty grew a love and calmness that Harris couldn’t have
foreseen, and a story of acceptance that mesmerizes with its
vulnerability . . . This is astounding." —Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
"The author deploys humor and delight to infuse the narrative with
nuance and hope, and her frank, vulnerable voice makes the book
feel like a conversation with a close friend . . . A compelling,
insightful memoir about parenting through the unknown." —Kirkus
Reviews
"Part parenting memoir, part spiritual guide, part anti-racist
hymn, This Boy We Made is a captivating, necessary story for our
time. With grace, humor, and truth, Taylor Harris shows us how to
live—and love—inside life’s vast question marks. Her sentences glow
and sing. She is the warm, witty, wise companion we all need in a
life filled with uncertainty." —Heather Lanier, author of Raising a
Rare Girl
"Taylor Harris takes us on an unforgettable journey through the
impossible tangles of America's healthcare system and lets us see
firsthand all tiers of stakes that come with Black motherhood in
this America. Disability, race, gender, class—every failing of our
society and its frustrating promises of our security and freedom is
examined here with clarity, courage, and so much love. The
admiration I have for Harris extends far beyond her outstanding
skills as a writer even—the blessing of her heart and mind truly
transcend any ordinary reading experience! This is one of the most
necessary entries in the medical/disability memoir canon yet."
—Porochista Khakpour, author of the acclaimed memoir Sick
"My rule to read everything Taylor Harris writes has never failed
me. With wisdom, earnestness, and no small amount of humor,
she reflects on parenthood and all of the unanswerable questions it
raises, exploring what it means to love a child precious to but
distinct from you; to wonder about mysteries you may never solve
and a future you cannot possibly know. This Boy We Made is a
courageous, exquisite memoir, one that will inspire and help
readers understand how we can brave the unknown while living in
hope." —Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir
Ask a Question About this Product More... |