Isaac Fitzgerald

The beloved founding editor of BuzzFeed Books searches for a more expansive vision of masculinity in these remarkable personal essays--with "life mistakes are my co-pilot" as his motto. This striking memoir, told through a series of personal essays, recounts an extraordinary story of childhood trauma and self-acceptance, and the struggle to be, well, a better man. From growing up in a homeless shelter in Boston to bartending in San Francisco, from smuggling medical supplies into Burma to embracing the literary world in New York, Fitzgerald strives for a different view of masculinity, one that aims to put aside anger, isolation, and entitlement and embraces the idea that one can be generous and kind to ourselves by being generous and kind to others. Gritty, clear-eyed, at times even beautiful, the essays in Dirtbag, Massachusetts explore poverty, drinking, ambition, abuse, the Church, body image, attempts at forgiveness--all while showing that adventure and exploration and curiosity are wonderful things, so long as you aren't hurting others and learn from your mistakes. This is a book readers will want to share, a book deeply rooted in the personal that is also an education--perhaps even a lifeline, a rollicking great read that contributes to the cultural conversation and maybe even nudges us a little outside our complacency while keeping us enthralled.

A Confessional

Dirtbag, Massachusetts

Wendy MacNaughton

Over 60 chefs share the personal stories of their tattoos, and many also share their signature recipes.

Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (with Recipes)

Knives & Ink

"Together, [these pictures and stories] do the work of great literature--gathering a force so true they ultimately tell a story that includes us all." --Cheryl Strayed, from the Introduction

Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them

Pen & Ink

Untitled

Isaac Fitzgerald teams up with bestselling illustrator Brigette Barrager in this picture book about a girl who wants to be a pirate, her tattooed grandfather, and their indelible bond. CeCe dreams of being a pirate. When the neighborhood boys tell her that she can't, she wonders where to begin. Luckily, she suspects her grandpa must know something about being a pirate--why else would he have all those tattoos? As he shares each tattoo, Grandpa and CeCe are transported from adventure to adventure, and CeCe discovers that there are all kinds of ways to be a pirate--Be BRAVE! Be QUICK! Be INDEPENDENT! And FUN!--and most of all, whether you're a pirate or not, the most important thing you can do is to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. This heartwarming and imaginative story is a vibrant, joyful expression of what it means to be all kinds of wonderful things . . . including a pirate.

How to Be a Pirate

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'A heart on the sleeve, demons in check, eyes unblinking, unbearably sad, laugh-out-loud funny revelation' MARLON JAMES Isaac Fitzgerald has lived many lives. He's been an altar boy, a bartender, a fat kid, a smuggler, a biker, a prince of New England. But before all that, he was a bomb that exploded his parents' lives – or so he was told. In Dirtbag, Massachusetts, Fitzgerald, with warmth and humour, recounts his ongoing search for forgiveness, a more far-reaching vision of masculinity, and a more expansive definition of family and self. Fitzgerald's memoir-in-essays begins with a childhood that moves at breakneck speed from safety to violence, recounting an extraordinary pilgrimage through trauma to self-understanding and, ultimately, acceptance. From growing up in a Boston homeless shelter to bartending in San Francisco, from smuggling medical supplies into Burma to his lifelong struggle to make peace with his body, Fitzgerald strives to take control of his own story: one that aims to put aside anger, isolation and entitlement to embrace the idea that one can be generous to oneself by being generous to others. Gritty and clear-eyed, loud-hearted and beautiful, Dirtbag, Massachusetts is a rollicking book that might also be a lifeline. 'I felt more alive after reading these essays' ALEXANDER CHEE 'Isaac Fitzgerald will make you feel absolutely everything' ROXANE GAY 'This book will be a key in the lock of many hearts and minds' EMMA STRAUB

A National Bestseller! "A beautiful, generous, fun collaboration of story and illustration and pirate tattoos. Seriously wise pirate advice for everyone." - Jon Scieszka, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature CeCe dreams of being a pirate. When the neighborhood boys tell her that she can't, she wonders where to begin. Luckily, she suspects her grandpa must know something about being a pirate--why else would he have all those tattoos? As he shares each tattoo, Grandpa and CeCe are transported from adventure to adventure, and CeCe discovers that there are all kinds of ways to be a pirate--Be BRAVE! Be QUICK! Be INDEPENDENT! And FUN!--and most of all, whether you're a pirate or not, the most important thing you can do is to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. This heartwarming and imaginative story from Isaac Fitzgerald and bestselling illustrator Brigette Barrager is a vibrant, joyful expression of what it means to be all kinds of wonderful things . . . including a pirate.

"A beautiful, generous, fun collaboration of story and illustration and pirate tattoos. Seriously wise pirate advice for everyone." - Jon Scieszka, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature CeCe dreams of being a pirate. When the neighborhood boys tell her that she can't, she wonders where to begin. Luckily, she suspects her grandpa must know something about being a pirate--why else would he have all those tattoos? As he shares each tattoo, Grandpa and CeCe are transported from adventure to adventure, and CeCe discovers that there are all kinds of ways to be a pirate--Be BRAVE! Be QUICK! Be INDEPENDENT! And FUN!--and most of all, whether you're a pirate or not, the most important thing you can do is to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. This heartwarming and imaginative story from Isaac Fitzgerald and bestselling illustrator Brigette Barrager is a vibrant, joyful expression of what it means to be all kinds of wonderful things . . . including a pirate.

Isaac Fitzgerald

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