163:
259:, Chloe Schama and Bridget Read noted Arceneaux's "hysterically funny, vulnerable" style, calling the collection "a triumph of self-exploration, tinged with but not overburdened by his reckoning with our current political moment...The result is a piece of personal and cultural storytelling that is as fun as it is illuminating."
149:
Arceneaux had a conversation with his mother, who believed God opposes homosexuality, and his title is a reference to that conversation. She stated that since she knew he had sex with another man, she was not confident that he was going to go to heaven. He stated that the best response to a religious
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Raji stated that the book "is an admirable attempt to reverse" a dynamic of mostly white-owned media stakeholders asking for racial ethnic minorities to "lead with his otherness, to write identity not just as a perspective but as a spectacle", and that
27:
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has "a little more story and a little less spectacle." According to Raji, "the high-wire act between fun and serious does not land" in about half of the essays, including the romance-related ones, but that the "standout essay on sexual racism and
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agent Jim McCarthy initially declined to represent
Arceneaux but changed his mind after reading some of Arceneaux's essays. Rakesh Satyal of Altria became his editor; according to Arceneaux his supervision strengthened his book.
107:, the collection includes seventeen essays, discussing Arceneaux's conflicting identities, his internalized homophobia, his journey as a writer, and his experiences dating. It also discusses his passion for the singer
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because his parents deliberately took him to
African-American healthcare personnel, he attended primary and secondary schools that had mostly African-American and Hispanic and Latino students, and he attended a
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and how he's dealing with the current White House administration — the leader of which he calls
Tangerine Mussolini, Sweet Potato Saddam and Mandarin Orange Mugabe, all in chapter 15.
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person who interprets his or her religion as being opposed to homosexuality is "I plan to have sex, so I can’t date Jesus." He first finished the book and then selected its title.
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According to
Arceneaux, "I wanted to write about my life with a mix of pathos and humor—the same way a lot of white male authors like
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In "The Place Is No
Sanctuary" he discusses homophobia in black-owned barbershops, which are for non-gay blacks places to socialize.
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In 2011 the writing process was complete, but
Arceneaux did not publish it until 2018 because he needed an agent and publisher.
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In "I See A Priest in You" he received a suggestion that he become a priest, but
Arceneaux decides not to do this.
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227:"The First, the Worst" and "Learning How to Ho and Date and Failing at Both" discuss his romantic life.
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stated that the book's "confident voice and unapologetic sense of humor will appeal to fans of
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425:"'I Can't Date Jesus': Michael Arceneaux's memoir loosens the chastity belt on queer intimacy"
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362:"I Can't Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I've Put My Faith in Beyoncé"
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I Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other
Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyoncé
122:, and is a gay African-American. This is his first book. It was released on July 24, 2018.
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I Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other
Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyoncé
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stated that the book's construction as a "series of explanations" is similar to those of
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546:"'I Don't Do Sad Gay': Michael Arceneaux in Conversation With Melissa Harris Perry"
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redeems these false starts." She also described the priest essay as a "standout".
590:"'I Can't Date Jesus' Chronicles Growing up Black, Queer and Catholic in Houston"
224:"You Will Die Poor" discusses his life as a low income resident of Los Angeles.
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stated that the book's humor is similar to that of David
Sedaris. According to
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452:"Michael Arceneaux on the struggle of getting queer black stories published"
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described it as "A funny, fierce, and bold memoir in essays."
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618:"13 Books to Thrill, Entertain, and Sustain You This Summer"
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One essay discusses how he does not have an admiration for
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521:"What Would Beyoncé Do? Michael Arceneaux's Asking"
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230:In Chapter 15 the author states his dislike of
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99:is a 2018 collection of essays by
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486:Anderson, Tre'vell (2018-07-19).
138:get to write about their lives."
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718:African-American autobiographies
519:Patrick, Diane (June 15, 2018).
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641:Abadsidis, Savas (2018-05-28).
143:Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret
733:Books critical of Christianity
450:Canfield, David (2018-07-26).
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213:historically black university
111:, who shares his hometown of
713:Atria Publishing Group books
423:Decaille, Nia (2018-08-03).
118:Arceneaux was previously a
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698:American essay collections
241:, as well as Arceneaux's
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16:Book by Michael Arceneaux
335:Christianity in Houston
330:LGBT culture in Houston
47:Audio read by
708:English-language books
693:2018 non-fiction books
728:2010s LGBT literature
723:Gay non-fiction books
193:Michelle Raji of the
457:Entertainment Weekly
392:"I CAN'T DATE JESUS"
262:Savas Abadsidis of
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678:Simon and Schuster
673:I Can't Date Jesus
293:interracial dating
288:I Can't Date Jesus
239:his administration
173:. You can help by
136:Augusten Burroughs
68:Non-fiction essays
525:Publishers Weekly
493:Los Angeles Times
367:Publishers Weekly
300:Publishers Weekly
275:Los Angeles Times
270:Tre'vell Anderson
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51:Michael Arceneaux
41:Michael Arceneaux
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103:. Published by
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88:July 24, 2018
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598:. 2018-08-03
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554:. 2018-06-15
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400:. 2018-04-30
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370:. 2018-04-16
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265:The Advocate
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182:August 2018
126:Development
105:Atria Books
77:Atria Books
687:Categories
654:2018-07-24
627:2018-07-24
602:2018-08-06
558:2018-08-06
499:2018-08-06
463:2018-08-06
436:2018-08-06
404:2018-08-06
374:2018-08-06
341:References
305:Roxane Gay
243:coming out
249:Reception
232:President
208:whiteness
115:, Texas.
73:Publisher
319:See also
154:Contents
57:Language
530:22 July
272:of the
113:Houston
109:Beyoncé
60:English
37:Author
622:Vogue
256:Vogue
65:Genre
551:Elle
532:2018
237:and
134:and
307:."
253:In
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
