¡Hola Papi!: How To Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons

There is an ease and charm to Brammer’s writing that will make readers feel as though he is sitting beside them, regaling them with his often funny, increasingly insightful, sometimes heartbreaking tales. Using a question-and-answer format (Brammer’s “¡Hola Papi!” began as a popular advice column on Grindr), this memoir touches on a myriad of topics, including what it means to feel authentically Mexican, surviving bullying, and the existence of “the one.” With a combination of frankness and self-reflection, Brammer takes readers from his childhood in Oklahoma to his adulthood in Brooklyn and back again, recalling the situations and events that shaped and continue to shape him. This collection shines especially brightly whenever Brammer describes his coming-of-age experiences—figuring out his sexuality, as well as his efforts to grow into his career as a writer. As he does in his advice column, Brammer addresses readers directly, showing us the times he sought advice and the times he should have taken it.