{"product_id":"alligator-tears-by-edgar-gomez","title":"Alligator Tears by Edgar Gomez","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA darkly comic memoir-in-essays about the scam of the American Dream and doing whatever it takes to survive in the Sunshine State—from the award-winning author of \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eHigh-Risk Homosexual\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Relatable, funny and deeply heartfelt, this memoir is one not to miss.”—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eToday \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e“Edgar Gomez is a young writer of deep talent and enormous grace.” —James McBride, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003ebestselling author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Heaven \u0026amp; Earth Grocery Store\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eWINNER OF THE FLORIDA BOOK AWARD BRONZE MEDAL PRIZE • LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST • A \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eTHEM\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e AND \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eELECTRIC LIT\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Florida, one of the first things you’re taught as a child is that if you’re ever chased by a wild alligator, the only way to save yourself is to run away in zigzags. It’s a lesson on survival that has guided much of Edgar Gomez’s life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike the night his mother had a stroke while he and his brother stood frozen at the foot of her bed, afraid she’d be angry if they called for an ambulance they couldn’t afford. Gomez escaped into his mind, where he could tell himself nothing was wrong with his family. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eZig\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Or years later, as a broke college student, he got on his knees to put sandals on tourists’ smelly, swollen feet for minimum wage at the Flip Flop Shop. After clocking out, his crew of working-class, queer, Latinx friends changed out of their uniforms in the passenger seats of each other’s cars, speeding toward the relief they found at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eZag\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. From committing a little bankruptcy fraud for the money for veneers to those days he paid his phone bill by giving massages to closeted men on vacation, back when he and his friends would Venmo each other the same emergency twenty dollars over and over. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eZig. Zag\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Gomez survived this way as long as his legs would carry him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eAlligator Tears\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a fiercely defiant memoir-in-essays charting Gomez’s quest to claw his family out of poverty by any means necessary and exposing the archetype of the humble poor person for what it is: a scam that insists we remain quiet and servile while we wait for a prize that will always be out of reach. For those chasing the American Dream and those jaded by it, Gomez’s unforgettable story is a testament to finding love, purpose, and community on your own terms, smiling with all your fake teeth.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Raíces Books and Merch","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49141634760946,"sku":null,"price":37.34,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0733\/6122\/8018\/files\/IMG-0706.jpg?v=1777931417","url":"https:\/\/raicesbooksandmerch.com\/products\/alligator-tears-by-edgar-gomez","provider":"Raíces Books and Merch","version":"1.0","type":"link"}