Strange Grief by J. Blake McBride

In 2010, J. Blake McBride escaped the doomsday cult she was born into in the middle of the night, with $21 and no shoes on, and came out of the closet at the same time. Leaving meant losing her family, her community, and every version of herself she’d been taught to become. A decade later, she wrote her life story into Strange Grief, a hopeful, devastating, vivid poetry collection for anyone who’s ever had to start over with nothing but idealism and a stubborn will to live.

Readers of Tara Westover and Emily Austin will find comfort and hope amidst the horror. Strange Grief is equal parts heartbreak and humor, exploring disenfranchised grief in its many forms: estrangement, poverty, queer identity, bad decisions, impossible love, and missing people who are still alive. This is a book for anyone who knows that sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is ruin your life on purpose so you can finally start living it.

Praise for Strange Grief

“An enrapturing collection about connection, trauma, queerness, rebuilding your life, and being alive. With disarming humour and emotional depth, this book reflects on questions like: What if the universe hadn’t conspired for us? And what is a dental dam? Hopeful, candid, and life-affirming, this is a beautiful collection.”—Emily Austin, author of Gay Girl Prayers and Is This a Cry for Help?

“In Strange Grief, J. Blake McBride tackles religious trauma and queer joy, family poverty and forest plants, crushes and friendships, formative music and its companion Doc Martens. Potent and lyrical, haunting and joyful, this is an innovative coming-of-age tale worth indulging.”—Raechel Anne Jolie, author of Rust Belt Femme

“Strange Grief is full of memorable lines, haunting emotions, and above all, a confident voice unafraid of getting vulnerable. Gracefully weaving the conversational with the lyrical, these poems are unforgettable not only for how they examine religious and familial trauma but also for how they express queer love and creativity. Against the dominant narrative of individual resilience in the face of struggle, this book argues for the building of community and for the meeting of oppressed people’s needs. What a debut—mighty and true.”—Chen Chen, author of Explodingly Yours