Acne

Despite having dirty-blonde hair and fair skin, Laura Chinn is mixed-race: the daughter of a Black father and a white mother, which on its own makes for some funny and insightful looks at identity. Laura’s parents were both Scientologists and nonconformists in myriad ways. They divorced early in Laura’s childhood, and she spent her teen years ping-ponging back and forth between Clearwater, Florida, and Los Angeles (with an extended stint in Tijuana for good measure).

Laura lived alone and raised herself for long periods of time, but don’t worry! Her mom’s alcoholic boyfriend was always nearby to supervise. She also lost family members to horrific tragedies, started drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes when she was eleven years old, and dropped out of school when she was fifteen, all the while completely obsessed with and scarred by her severe acne condition. 

This is not a sad story. There is Jell-O wrestling. There is an abnormal amount of dancing. There is information about whether you can drink gallons of sangria while taking unregulated Accutane acquired in Mexico. But mostly there is love, and ultimately there is redemption. Laura explores her trauma through anecdotes riddled with grit and humor, proving that in the face of unspeakable tragedy, it is possible to find success, love, and self-acceptance, zits and all.

• “You know how people justify insane horrors by saying, ‘It was a different time’? Laura Chinn will transport you to that time. This book is funny and heartbreakingly honest.”
  Tina Fey
• "Brutally honest, hilarious and horrifying. Reading this book was like whispering late-night secrets with a long-lost best friend."
  Jenny Lawson
• “Chinn’s artistry, weaving the juxtaposition of devastating heartbreak and hilarious self-awareness, is masterful. If you are drawn to a sorrowful weep and snort laugh--this book is for you.”
  Jessica Alba
• "Laura Chinn upholds the maxim 'the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom' in her refreshingly honest and incredibly funny autobiography. I couldn't put it down."
  Woody Harrelson
• “Chinn shares deeply personal stories that will make you inappropriately laugh out loud until you are in tears. There also will be times when you will not be able to stop the real tears from flowing in this heart-touching story of self-love and perseverance.”
   
  Kym Whitley
• “As someone who’s known Laura and would beg for more stories of her adolescence, I knew her memoir would be wickedly hilarious. What I was not expecting was to burst into tears while reading it on a very quiet airplane. I laughed and wept my way through Acne as fast as I could to see what could possibly happen next. Laura’s unfathomably bizarre life is beautifully told in the most delightful and heart-wrenching way, ultimately leaving me full of gratitude and hope. And a much greater understanding of all of those Florida stereotypes.”
   
  Kaitlin Olson
• "Laura Chinn is a modern-day Tennessee Williams but funnier and more dramatic. Acne is a consistently jaw-dropping, laugh out loud, 'wait hold on, let me reread that part again' book."
   
  Paul Scheer
• "A natural-born storyteller, Chinn writes with humor and heart about the emotional burden of living with a conspicuous skin condition, the challenges of being a mixed-race person who appears white, and the tragedies her family endures. Readers will be rooting for her to find clear skin and happiness."
  Booklist Starred Review