When wielded responsibly, humor can heal and also educate. Phill exhibits this ability with great profundity as he shows us how fathers shape us even when they don't know how to love us well. - Roy Wood Jr., author of The Man of Many Fathers I knew Phil Branch as a young man with dreams and fears, with questions about who he was and who he was becoming. To witness his journey, to see him claim his voice, his truth, and his power is nothing short of extraordinary. The Double Dutch Fuss stands as a testament to courage, growth, and the healing power of storytelling. - Sheryl Lee Ralph, actress and author Unflinching and compassionate in equal measure, Branch's moving autobiography probes the fragile process of forgiveness and the enduring ties between fathers and sons. It's a resonant story of reconciliation and self-acceptance.
- Publisher's Weekly Branch's storytelling background is infused throughout his debut memoir. Each chapter flows seamlessly into the next as he recounts feelings of loneliness and frustration while pretending. Branch also discusses his complex relationship with his estranged father, who left the family when the author was 14. Moments of joy with his father are rare, but when they come, Branch's happiness shines on the page. Verdict: Branch's coming of age and family dynamics intertwine toward a commendable conclusion. Fans of similarly themed book club-worthy nonfiction, such as Edgar Gomez's High-Risk Homosexual, will snatch this up. - Library Journal (Starred Review) "Raw, honest, heartbreaking, and laugh-out-loud funny--The Double Dutch Fuss will inspire and uplift. In these times when hope feels fragile, it delivers the encouragement we all need: No matter how difficult the journey, our dreams are always attainable.
" - Bernice L. McFadden, author of Firstborn Girls Phill Branch generously and warmly welcomes us into the world of his childhood and young adulthood full of seismic shifts and heartbreak but also self-discovery and victory, all served with a side of his signature humor and hope. It's a celebration of hard-won battles, the ones we have with expressing who we are in full. - Suzanne Rust, Curator at The Moth In this unflinchingly vulnerable memoir, Phill Branch traces a path toward self-authorship, learning to live on his own terms--a piercing, beautifully written meditation on masculinity in America, on the expectations we inherit, the roles we perform, and the quiet courage it takes to refuse them. - Robert James Russell, author of Hard Body Phill Branch's debut memoir, The Double Dutch Fuss, is brave, painful, heartwarming, and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Written with passion, hard truths, humor and vulnerability, Branch's coming-of-age narrative is a story long overdue to be told. - Donna Hill, author Confessions in B-Flat and Nola and Baldwin Professional storyteller Branch puts his skills to good use in this thoughtful memoir, which takes its title from a climacteric childhood memory--namely, his father's revulsion in the boy's jumping rope with girls in the schoolyard.Childhood verges into adolescence and adulthood, marked by self-discovery: of his fears, of his sexuality, of how to negotiate a household where silence reigned--"all silence unless it was shouting.
" In a wonderful moment, when he decides to come out to friends, their responses range from "That's it?" to "Congratulations!" to "I don't give a fuck"--proof that the anticipation is all too often much worse than the reality. A well-crafted coming of age story marked by constant trials--but, happily, success as well. - Kirkus.