Book Summary and Reviews of In My Remaining Years by Jean Grae

In My Remaining Years by Jean Grae

In My Remaining Years

by Jean Grae

  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Published:
  • Mar 2025, 304 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

A collection of darkly humorous, intensely personal essays by cult fave and multi-hyphenate artist Jean Grae.

In My Remaining Years, by creative juggernaut Jean Grae, debunks the myth that coming-of-age narratives should be reserved for the kids, providing a much-needed rallying cry for those of us still trying to figure it out in our forties. These laugh-out-loud essays cover everything from aging gracefully (with and without botox), what happens when you look for community and almost start a cult, befriending childhood demons (Hi Mumm-ra!), gender fluidity in middle age, the cost of being too fabulous, and the various gymnastics we do to avoid becoming our parents, taking us from her childhood in 1980s New York City to present-day Baltimore. In these pages, Jean captures magic in a bottle, distilling the feeling of hanging out with your smartest, funniest, and most brutally honest best friend.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

"A fierce, funny book that embraces life and all its imperfections with open arms." —Kirkus Reviews

"Skillfully crafted...[Grae] captures the magic of sharing unforgettable and unpleasant moments with humor, while remaining refreshingly honest in her coming-of-age reflections." ―Booklist

"I have often considered how much better society would be if a small version of Jean Grae could live on every bookshelf. All of my experiments in this field have ended in international sanctions and house fires. But as usual, Jean had a better idea and wrote this book. The portable Jean now exists, and you must buy it!" ―John Hodgman, comedian and author of Medallion Status

"This haphazard world is so very lucky Jean Grae wrote a book. A hall of myriad doorways into a mind and life like no other―so deep, so funny, so genius. If you've ever felt stuck articulating the unrelenting chaos of existing, Jean has got you covered and then some." ―Aparna Nancherla, actress, comedian, and author of Unreliable Narrator

"I'm in awe of the many talents of Jean Grae. What a pleasure it is to discover that, as I'd expected, Jean is excellent at writing books, too." ―Maris Kreizman, author of I Want To Burn This Place Down

This information about In My Remaining Years was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Author Information

Jean Grae

Jean Grae is a multidisciplinary artist, humorist, and former rapper with over 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry. She's collaborated with influential musicians including The Roots, Robert Glasper, and her prolific body of work is featured at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2019, the Public Theater commissioned her one-person show Jeanius, which played for a limited time and sold out to audiences in New York City. She currently resides in Baltimore with her shared-custody cat Littles. In My Remaining Years is her first book.

More Author Information

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

More Recommendations

Readers Also Browsed . . .

more biography/memoir...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Devil Finds Work
    by James Baldwin
    A book-length essay on racism in American films, by "the best essayist in this country" (The New York Times Book Review).

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Girl Falling
    by Hayley Scrivenor

    The USA Today bestselling author of Dirt Creek returns with a story of grief and truth.

  • Book Jacket

    Jane and Dan at the End of the World
    by Colleen Oakley

    Date Night meets Bel Canto in this hilarious tale.

  • Book Jacket

    The Antidote
    by Karen Russell

    A gripping dust bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town.

Who Said...

Anagrams

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

T B S of T F

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.