Joseph Earl Thomas

A gut wrenching memoir about trying to find familial love and acceptance despite a toxic and turbulent upbringing. Often ditched at his "grandparents" house because of his mother's crack addiction, Joey was forced to mature early and make space for himself in a household filled with toxic masculinity, hunger, drugs, and sexual activity. With roaches invading every conceivable space, the fridge nearly always empty, and vitriol being thrown his way; Joseph retreated into the worlds of anime and video games - trying to make sense of his life through their fantasy. Sink is told through a series of poignant vignettes - each more unsettling and upsetting than the next. It's a brutal, violent, deprecating childhood that will shock many listeners, yet nestled within the book there is hope and humor. Joey managed to survive and eventually thrive despite the odds being stacked against him as a poor, young, Black boy in Philadelphia. Narrated beautifully by the author himself - this audiobook may be a painful listen but it's necessary. Sink is fantastically written and eloquent in its despair and dysfunction; a rose amongst the thorns. The language and writing style elevate the story into a memoir that is truly a work of art.… (more)