I Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyoncé is a 2018 collection of essays by Michael Arceneaux. Published by Atria Books, the collection includes seventeen essays, discussing Arceneaux's conflicting identities,[1] his internalized homophobia,[2] his journey as a writer, and his experiences dating.[1] It also discusses his passion for the singer Beyoncé, who shares his hometown of Houston, Texas.[3]
Arceneaux was previously a Roman Catholic,[3] and is a gay African-American.[1] This is his first book.[4] It was released on July 24, 2018.[5]
Development
According to Arceneaux, "I wanted to write about my life with a mix of pathos and humor—the same way a lot of white male authors like David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs get to write about their lives."[6]
In 2011 the writing process was complete, but Arceneaux did not publish it until 2018 because he needed an agent and publisher. Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret agent Jim McCarthy initially declined to represent Arceneaux but changed his mind after reading some of Arceneaux's essays. Rakesh Satyal of Altria became his editor; according to Arceneaux his supervision strengthened his book.[6]
Arceneaux had a conversation with his mother, who believed God opposes homosexuality, and his title is a reference to that conversation.[3] She stated that since she knew he had sex with another man, she was not confident that he was going to go to heaven.[5] He stated that the best response to a religious person who interprets his or her religion as being opposed to homosexuality is "I plan to have sex, so I can’t date Jesus."[7] He first finished the book and then selected its title.[5]
Contents
Michelle Raji of the Texas Observer stated that the book's construction as a "series of explanations" is similar to those of self-help books, making it "a logical extension of the polemic, confessional style he’s perfected online" as well as being "accessible to a larger audience".[8]
One essay discusses how he does not have an admiration for whiteness because his parents deliberately took him to African-American healthcare personnel, he attended primary and secondary schools that had mostly African-American and Hispanic and Latino students, and he attended a historically black university.[8]
In "The Place Is No Sanctuary" he discusses homophobia in black-owned barbershops, which are for non-gay blacks places to socialize.[8]
In "I See A Priest in You" he received a suggestion that he become a priest, but Arceneaux decides not to do this.[8]
"You Will Die Poor" discusses his life as a low income resident of Los Angeles.[8]
"The First, the Worst" and "Learning How to Ho and Date and Failing at Both" discuss his romantic life.[8]
In Chapter 15 the author states his dislike of President Donald Trump and his administration, as well as Arceneaux's coming out to his mother.[5]
Reception
In Vogue, Chloe Schama and Bridget Read noted Arceneaux's "hysterically funny, vulnerable" style, calling the collection "a triumph of self-exploration, tinged with but not overburdened by his reckoning with our current political moment...The result is a piece of personal and cultural storytelling that is as fun as it is illuminating."[9]
Savas Abadsidis of The Advocate stated that the book's humor is similar to that of David Sedaris.[10] According to Tre'vell Anderson of the Los Angeles Times, observers also compared the writing to that of Samantha Irby.[5]
Raji stated that the book "is an admirable attempt to reverse" a dynamic of mostly white-owned media stakeholders asking for racial ethnic minorities to "lead with his otherness, to write [one's] identity not just as a perspective but as a spectacle", and that I Can't Date Jesus has "a little more story and a little less spectacle."[8] According to Raji, "the high-wire act between fun and serious does not land" in about half of the essays, including the romance-related ones, but that the "standout essay on sexual racism and interracial dating redeems these false starts."[8] She also described the priest essay as a "standout".[8]
Publishers Weekly stated that the book's "confident voice and unapologetic sense of humor will appeal to fans of Roxane Gay."[1]
Kirkus Reviews described it as "A funny, fierce, and bold memoir in essays."[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "I Can't Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I've Put My Faith in Beyoncé". Publishers Weekly. 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ a b "I CAN'T DATE JESUS". Kirkus Reviews. 2018-04-30. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ a b c Decaille, Nia (2018-08-03). "'I Can't Date Jesus': Michael Arceneaux's memoir loosens the chastity belt on queer intimacy". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ Canfield, David (2018-07-26). "Michael Arceneaux on the struggle of getting queer black stories published". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ a b c d e Anderson, Tre'vell (2018-07-19). "Why Michael Arceneaux 'Can't Date Jesus'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
[...]and how he's dealing with the current White House administration — the leader of which he calls Tangerine Mussolini, Sweet Potato Saddam and Mandarin Orange Mugabe, all in chapter 15.
- ^ a b Patrick, Diane (June 15, 2018). "What Would Beyoncé Do? Michael Arceneaux's Asking". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
- ^ "'I Don't Do Sad Gay': Michael Arceneaux in Conversation With Melissa Harris Perry". Elle. 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "'I Can't Date Jesus' Chronicles Growing up Black, Queer and Catholic in Houston". Texas Observer. 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ Schama, Chloe; Read, Bridget (May 30, 2018). "13 Books to Thrill, Entertain, and Sustain You This Summer". Vogue. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
- ^ Abadsidis, Savas (2018-05-28). "On the Shelf". The Advocate. Retrieved 2018-07-24.