The Book

At six years old, a boy was moved four houses down Jamieson Street in Flint, Michigan, from the grandmother who prayed with him every night to the grandmother who kept him fed, clothed, and safe. The home he had known remained just down the street. The life inside it was gone.

Only later would he begin to understand the distance between being cared for and feeling loved. That distinction followed him into adulthood, through education, professional achievement, and intimate relationships. Independence helped him build a life that looked successful from the outside, even as concealing essential parts of himself and keeping others at a distance came at a cost.

In NOW YOU HAVE BOTH: What Strength Couldn't Solve, L. Logan explores family, Black gay identity, ambition, love, and the limits of self-reliance. At its center is a question: what happens when the qualities that helped us survive are no longer enough to give us the lives we want?