Darling Days
Published by HarperCollins
This “extraordinary memoir” from a gender non-conforming child of the ‘80s, is “brave and true, as devastating as it is inspiring.” —Jill Soloway, Emmy-award winning creator of Transparent
Born into the bedlam of downtown New York in the eighties, iO Tillett Wright came of age at the intersection of punk, poverty, heroin, and art. This was a world of self-invented characters, glamorous superstars, and strung-out sufferers, ground zero of drag and performance art. Still, no personality was more vibrant and formidable than iO’s mother’s, Rhonna, a showgirl and young widow. At the center of Darling Days is the remarkable relationship between a fiery kid and a domineering ma—a bond defined by freedom and control, excess and sacrifice; by heartbreaking deprivation, agonizing rupture, and, ultimately, forgiveness.
Darling Days is also a provocative examination of culture and identity, of the courage and resilience it takes to listen closely to your deepest self. When a group of boys refuse to let six-year-old, female-born iO play ball, iO instantly adopts a new persona, becoming a boy named Ricky—a choice iO’s parents support. Alternating between the harrowing and the hilarious, Darling Days is the candid, tough, and stirring memoir of a young person in search of an authentic self as family and home life devolve into chaos.
“Earnest and heartfelt.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A terrific, terrific book.” —Anthony Bourdain, New York Times bestselling author and host of Parts Unknown
“A high-octane cocktail of radiant ink, wild anecdotes, bad behavior, and gritty truths.” —Tom Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
“The prose is beautiful and aches with emotion.” —Publishers Weekly
Born into the bedlam of downtown New York in the eighties, iO Tillett Wright came of age at the intersection of punk, poverty, heroin, and art. This was a world of self-invented characters, glamorous superstars, and strung-out sufferers, ground zero of drag and performance art. Still, no personality was more vibrant and formidable than iO’s mother’s, Rhonna, a showgirl and young widow. At the center of Darling Days is the remarkable relationship between a fiery kid and a domineering ma—a bond defined by freedom and control, excess and sacrifice; by heartbreaking deprivation, agonizing rupture, and, ultimately, forgiveness.
Darling Days is also a provocative examination of culture and identity, of the courage and resilience it takes to listen closely to your deepest self. When a group of boys refuse to let six-year-old, female-born iO play ball, iO instantly adopts a new persona, becoming a boy named Ricky—a choice iO’s parents support. Alternating between the harrowing and the hilarious, Darling Days is the candid, tough, and stirring memoir of a young person in search of an authentic self as family and home life devolve into chaos.
“Earnest and heartfelt.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A terrific, terrific book.” —Anthony Bourdain, New York Times bestselling author and host of Parts Unknown
“A high-octane cocktail of radiant ink, wild anecdotes, bad behavior, and gritty truths.” —Tom Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
“The prose is beautiful and aches with emotion.” —Publishers Weekly
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