Growing Up Ugly - by James Haywood Rolling (Paperback)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br><p><em>Growing Up Ugly</em> is an inspirational coming-of-age memoir that traces the emergence of a painfully shy Black boy raised in an inner-city New York neighborhood who defied gravity through the discovery of his own creative superpowers.</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p><strong>What's the one area from your past that you keep getting your flesh caught in over and over again? Where are you still wounded and bleeding? The good news is that the most unanticipated and rewarding turns in the story often start with the ugliest beginnings.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><em>Growing Up Ugly</em> is an inspirational coming-of-age memoir that traces the upbringing of a painfully shy child with chronically low self-esteem-a Black boy reprimanded for daydreaming too much and raised in a struggling inner-city New York neighborhood-who eventually grew to become an artist, a leading educator, and an award-winning scholar.</p><p><br></p><p>In this new release from Simple Word Publications, author James Haywood Rolling, Jr. composes a rich canvas of raw vignettes, family photos, original illustrations and poems in order to sketch a candid self-portrait that details: </p><p><br></p><p> *His upbringing as the first-born son and namesake of Jim Rolling, a talented professional artist-and a domineering father.</p><p><br></p><p> *The unexpected personal consequences of being bused to school daily from his home in a racially segregated area of Crown Heights to the predominantly white neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay on the other side of Brooklyn at the start of the controversial school choice vs. public education debate and during the first efforts to desegregate schools across New York City in the early 1970s.</p><p><br></p><p> *How being identified and tracked since elementary school as a gifted student contributed to a dangerously distorted view of himself and his own capabilities-until God intervened.</p><p><br></p><p>No matter who or what first made you feel ugly, here is storytelling that elevates its readers beyond their own scars, social anxiety, or low self-esteem. This is a book for anyone who has ever been underestimated, bullied, abused, or simply overlooked. <strong>It's time to re-imagine your way from daydreams to destiny.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><em>Growing Up Ugly</em> makes a great gift for any family raising African American children, for anyone committed to mentoring Black boys, or anyone teaching and serving in marginalized and under-resourced communities. An in-depth reflection on the power to reshape how one's presence is seen and felt in the world, this book is also an ideal addition to libraries serving multicultural populations!</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p>"A deeply moving and clear-eyed memoir filled with poetry, art and most of all - love."</p><p> </p><p><strong>Jacqueline Woodson</strong> - 2020 Winner of the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant; Former Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People's Literature</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>"Growing Up Ugly</em> is a coming-of-age story that represents those most often unheard and unseen. At the heart of Rolling's memoir is the weaving together of multiple creative modes of expression to invite in adolescent readers and to share stories with language, prose, and illustrations that will resonate with generations to come. This book should especially be introduced to male readers of color whose identities and experiences are least represented in the field of children's and adolescent literature. <em>Growing Up Ugly</em> signals a turn toward more honest and authentic first-person accounts of the Black male experience in America."</p><p> </p><p><strong>Dr. Marcelle Haddix</strong> - Professor of Literacy, Syracuse University; 2019 President, Literacy Research Association</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Once again the United States is being called upon to take an unflinching look at what it means to be Black in America. James Rolling has given us a gift; an honest account of his own experience. Told in vignettes, photos, and original poetry, <em>Growing Up Ugly</em> reveals the struggle with self-image and discovery of purpose that marks every human life, but is particularly acute for men of color. While the narrative of the African diaspora on this continent remains unfinished, this poignant memoir adds to our collective journey toward understanding and healing."</p><p> </p><p><strong>Rev. John Carter</strong> - Lead Pastor, Abundant Life, Syracuse, NY; Author of <em>The Transformed Life </em>(Harrison House, 2014)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Rooted in poignant personal experiences, Rolling's unflinching narrative and evocative poems shed compelling insights into youth anxieties through the lens of his own struggles with identity, appearance, friendships, and a lifetime of racialized spaces and encounters. Candidly sharing a series of short vignettes ranging from bouts with asthma, bullying, abuse, a father's flaws, and shattered dreams, this memoir is ultimately a tale of transcendence as an ugly duckling becomes a swan. <em>Growing Up Ugly</em> is a transformative journey for every adolescent, parent, and educator."</p><p> </p><p>D<strong>r. Uzo Unobagha</strong> - ALA Notable Book Award-winning Author of <em>Off To The Sweet Shores of Africa and Other Talking Drum Rhymes</em> (2000)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"James Rolling has given the world the greatest of all gifts: HOPE, especially for those of us whose personal histories have left us marginalized, invisible, and without a healthy sense of self. Being the son of a Mohawk mother, I have found my face in Rolling's memoir, <em>Growing Up Ugly</em>. Yes, we have all been shaped by our personal histories. But we can all be more than those histories. Rolling's incredible book lights the way."</p><p> </p><p><strong>H. Dale Lloyd</strong> - Author of <em>October's Dying: The Tragic Story of the North American Indigenous Peoples</em> (2019)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"In <em>Growing Up Ugly</em>, Dr. James H. Rolling, Jr. allows his readers a few precious moments inside the skin of a brilliant young man during his most formative years. We begin to grasp the complicated roots of his perceived ugliness. Yet from these roots, Rolling forges a network of circuitous routes toward identity formation...Through his art and his intellect, our protagonist discovers a voice that has something to say to the world, and a beauty worth beholding."</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Dr. Sonny Kelly</strong> - Author of <em>The Talk</em></p><p> </p><br>
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