Alligator Tears

A Memoir in Essays

By: Edgar Gomez

Narrated by: Edgar Gomez

A 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 High-Risk Homosexual

“Relatable, funny and deeply heartfelt, this memoir is one not to miss.”—Today

“Edgar Gomez is a young writer of deep talent and enormous grace.” —James McBride, New York Times bestselling author of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

WINNER OF THE FLORIDA BOOK AWARD BRONZE MEDAL PRIZE • LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST • A THEM AND ELECTRIC LIT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

In 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.

Like 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. Zig. 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. Zag. 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. Zig. Zag. Gomez survived this way as long as his legs would carry him.

Alligator Tears 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.

Engaging read

This is a heavy book that feels light because of how it was written by the author. The author uses great imagery and humor masterfully throughout. Gomez writes about their experiences as a queer Latinx person of modest means who also identifies as non-binary. I would also add survivor even though Gomez doesn't state that explicitly in the book. Going back to the matter of how the book feels, it may have landed the way it did for me because I listened to the audiobook. Despite citing some hard experiences, Gomez never sounds defeated. The moments of hardship are followed by triumph. That's the simplest way I'd put it. I was surprised to see that the hard cover book is 235 pages long because it didn’t feel that way listening to it. The length of the book is perfect. Lastly, I met @otroedgargomez at a book signing. You won't meet a more down to earth person who has written a gem.

Beautiful writing

Edgar Gomez writes beautifully. His words connect to things we have in common, queer & Latino but also have the power to bring me to his experiences where we have nothing in common. This bitch had me weeping openly on a plane to Philadelphia while listening to chapter 5.