“A brave reckoning with multiple questions of identity, class, family, race, and other thorny issues.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Steve Majors’ memoir, High Yella, is a feast of literary brilliance. As a Black child of the American South, I understand the weight of the title and the struggle of those who bear it. This is why I was so deeply moved by Majors’ courage and vulnerability in opening up about his struggle for a definable racial identity. Inside this struggle are the lives of four generations, their stories raw, beautiful, authentic, and unrelentingly poignant. Full of immensely colorful people, signature cultural moments, hysterical colloquial phrases and some of the best prose I have read in a very long time. High Yella is a gift to society and a book that I will always treasure.” — Jeffrey Blount, author, The Emancipation of Evan Walls
“What are the complex histories that roil under our composed, accomplished surfaces? Steve Majors has brought his to the fore. He’s written a gripping, moving, and wrenchingly honest book about his life that I couldn’t put down. He was born to write. “— Pia Z. Ehrhardt, author, Famous Fathers & Other Stories and Now We Are Sixty
“Steve Majors’ heart-wrenching and honest family memoir never sugarcoats, romanticizes or dehumanizes. Whether he’s tackling growing up poor and Black, family abuse, racial passing, substance misuse, interracial relationships, marriage, or raising adopted kids as a gay dad, Majors tells every part of this singular, moving, and necessary story with clear eyes and care. Just like family, this beautiful, heartbreaking book will find its way into your bones. “— Eman Quotah, author, Bride of the Sea
“Few people on earth can write from the perspective of someone who is black but also white, gay but oft-mistaken for straight, Catholic but tied to Judaism… with a ‘white-picket-fence’ present and an improbably complicated past. High Yella is a story that begged to be told, and what luck, the protagonist of this real-life tale happens to be a master class writer. This delicately crafted memoir is a testament to the unquantifiable things that connect family… not cells and DNA, but shared experiences and unconditional love. ” — Debbie Bornstein Holinstat, author, NYT Bestseller Survivors Club
“Steve Majors’s gripping memoir provides a glimpse into the soul of a tormented man caught in the crossfire of two cruel worlds––one black, one white––as he struggles to find where he truly belongs. With a cast of unforgettably colorful characters, High Yella is a story of great relevance that courageously and delicately sheds light on one of today’s most polarizing issues––racial discrimination. A must-read for anyone who endeavors to unconditionally love his fellow man!” — Ray Studevent, author, Black Sheep
“High Yella speaks to anyone yearning to feel at home in their own skin, who need to know they can belong somewhere inside a less than welcoming society. As Steve Majors eloquently reveals a legacy of racial confusion through his own personal lens, he exposes our limitations and our capacities for love, tolerance and generosity. His foibles and insight, especially when it comes to his own children, provide us with a substantial dose of hope and inspiration.” — David Tabatsky, author, American Misfit & Dear President Obama: Letters of Hope from Children
High Yella Memoir 