In his coming-of-age memoir, Saeed Jones recounts his journey exploring his sexuality and his passion for writing while grappling with homophobia, racism, and devastating illness.

After the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, gay youth who wanted to explore their sexuality were met with messages about death, disease, and sin.

The presence of racism and racial violence in 1990s Texas made it even more difficult for Saeed Jones to safely figure out his identity.

Saeed Jones is an award-winning writer and poet. His memoir How We Fight for Our Lives explores his experiences growing up in the South as a gay, Black man in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Through a poetic lens, Jones chronicles his journey to understanding his sexuality, his place in the world, and how he fought to be the person he was meant to be.