The Ugly Cry

A Memoir

By: Danielle Henderson

Narrated by: Danielle Henderson

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

“They say comedy equals tragedy plus time: This very funny account of an often miserable childhood is proof.” (People)

“What a strong, funny, heartbreaking memoir, with a voice that is completely its own (written by a woman who very much seems to be completely her own, as well.) I loved it.” (Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times best-selling author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love)

An uproarious, moving memoir about a grandmother’s ferocious love and redefining what it means to be family

“If you fight that motherf**ker and you don’t win, you’re going to come home and fight me.” Not the advice you’d normally expect from your grandmother - but Danielle Henderson would be the first to tell you her childhood was anything but conventional.

Abandoned at 10 years old by a mother who chose her drug-addicted, abusive boyfriend, Danielle was raised by grandparents who thought their child-rearing days had ended in the 1960s. She grew up Black, weird, and overwhelmingly uncool in a mostly white neighborhood in upstate New York, which created its own identity crises. Under the eye-rolling, foul-mouthed, loving tutelage of her uncompromising grandmother - and the horror movies she obsessively watched - Danielle grew into a tall, awkward, Sassy-loving teenager who wore black eyeliner as lipstick and was struggling with the aftermath of her mother’s choices. But she also learned that she had the strength and smarts to save herself, her grandmother gifting her a faith in her own capabilities that the world would not have most Black girls possess.

With humor, wit, and deep insight, Danielle shares how she grew up and grew wise - and the lessons she’s carried from those days to these. In the process, she upends our conventional understanding of family and redefines its boundaries to include the millions of people who share her story.

©2021 Danielle Henderson (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Most Anticipated Book of the Summer with Good Morning America | TIME | EW | Bustle | Bitch | PureWow | HelloGiggles | The AV Club | Yahoo! Life | CBS

“What a strong, funny, heartbreaking memoir, with a voice that is completely its own (written by a woman who very much seems to be completely her own, as well.) I loved it.” (Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times best-selling author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love)

“I’ve struggled writing this blurb because hyperbole is unbelievable. Except the Grand Canyon really is astonishing and the universe does fill us with awe and Danielle Henderson’s memoir, The Ugly Cry, is the funniest memoir I have ever read. It is also achingly sad. And powerfully redemptive. The Ugly Cry raises the bar on how hilarious and brave and weird and crazy and screamingly brilliant a memoir can be. Danielle Henderson has knocked it out of the park and into the stratosphere with this debut.” (Augusten Burroughs, number-one New York Times best-selling author of Running with Scissors)

"Henderson writes with an incredible amount of vulnerability, presenting her story with a cleareyed compassion for her mother, grandmother, and, ultimately, herself. A redemptive memoir about a Black woman’s victory over childhood abuse, racism, and mental illness.” (Kirkus)