Ask a Bookseller: 'Hola Papi' offers comical memoir in essays

Katharine Otis of House of Books in Kent, Conn., recommends the comical memoir-in-essays “Hola Papi: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons” by John Paul Brammer. The book grew out of an advice column Brammer wrote for the LGBTQ dating app Grindr; he quickly found that the questions he received from readers were deep and wide-ranging. Brammer also describes growing up as a self-described queer, multiracial kid in Oklahoma. Otis has long followed Brammer on Twitter, so she knew he was "a very funny man," but she was surprised by the thoughtful dives the book takes into mental health, queer issues, and racial identity. She recommends this book for fans of short, humorous essays such as Samantha Urby’s "Wow, No Thank You" and "We Are Never Meeting in Real Life." It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders John Paul Brammer gives advice