Harris, E. Lynn. What becomes of the brokenhearted, a memoir

HARRIS, E. Lynn. What becomes of the brokenhearted, a memoir. Random House, Anchor. 266p. c2003. 0-385-49506-4. $13.95. SA

Now fans can stop wondering what the E. in E. Lynn Harris' name stands for. The author puts that and a number of other questions to rest in this memoir. As the title implies, growing up was painful for Harris. Born Everette Lynn Harris in 1955, he grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he lived with his mother, the man he thought was his father, and his younger sisters. At an early age Harris believed he was different. The physical and verbal abuse imposed on him by his stepfather helped to reinforce these negative feelings. Before long, Harris had developed a serious self-esteem problem that would follow him throughout his teen years and lead him to severe depression and alcohol abuse during adulthood.

Deeply religious, Harris turned to prayer, repeatedly asking God to rid him of the one thing that contributed to his unstable condition: his attraction to men. For years, Harris lied not only about his sexuality but also about his family background and financial circumstances. The deceit, coupled with his repeated attempts to find a partner who truly loved him, left Harris at an all-time low at the end of the 1980s. The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville graduate was virtually homeless and jobless. Several close friends had contracted AIDS and died, leaving Harris even more distraught. After therapy and at the adz vice of a close friend, he decided to write a story that he hoped would free him.

That story became his first novel, which he titled Invisible Life and self-published. Since then, several others have followed and received attention and acclaim. This heartfelt memoir of how an African American ex-IBM executive became a best-selling novelist makes a solemn but inspiring tale for mature readers. KaaVonia Hinton, Old Dominian Univ., VA

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