On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous

For the past two years, I have made a regular point of going downtown, on June 12, and paying my respects with families and friends at Pulse, reading tributes, shaking hands, and sharing smiles, moved by the reality of a love that outlives and outshines the worst, most violent forms of hate.

This year, however, I was in a hospital for most of the day, waiting on someone I love, reading one of the most timely and beautifully written novels of my life, less than ten days from press. With layers upon layers of historical truths and fearless fiction, Ocean Vuong carefully unlocks the rawness of human sexuality through the eyes of a Vietnamese refugee, his mother, and his first love, even mentioning the Orlando tragedy by name, grounding readers in a familiar and heartbreaking world. I was dared and compelled by the author to keep reading, and learning, what it means to love those who do unlovable things, simply because once in a while, ever so briefly, we still and often find them gorgeous.

“You and I,” writes Vuong, “we were Americans until we opened our eyes.”

For those who need a new title for their summer reading, consider adding this to your list.