Written in a distinctive voice and filled with personality, humor, and pathos, Fruit Punch is a memoir unlike any other, from a one-of-a-kind millennial talent. Growing up in Dallas, Texas, in the nineties and early 2000s, Kendra Allen had a complicated, loving, and intense family life filled with desire and community but also undercurrents of violence and turmoil. As she makes her way through the world, Kendra finds herself slowly discovering outlets to help navigate growing up and against the expected performance of being a young Black woman in the South--a complex interplay of race, class, and gender that proves to be ever-shifting ground.
Fruit Punch touches on everything from questions of beauty and how we form concepts of ourselves--as a small rebellion, young Kendra scratched a hole into every pair of stockings she was forced to wear--to what it means to grow up in her great uncle's Southern Baptist church--with rules including "No uncrossed ankles" and "No questions."
Inflected by a powerful sense of place and touched by poetry, Fruit Punch is a stunning achievement--a memoir born of love and endurance, fight or flight, and what it means to be a witness, from a blisteringly honest and observant voice.
176 pages. Hardback.
About the Author
Kendra Allen is a breakup coach, blogger, host of the Heal Your Heartbreak Podcast, and founder of Break Up Bestie. After going through a series of painful breakups, Kendra realized there was a huge gap online for practical and healthy heartbreak advice. In 2017, she launched her Instagram account @YourBreakupBestie and began talking with thousands of people all over the world about what struggles they were going through post-breakup. After listening, researching, and pulling from personal experience Kendra launched her blog in 2018, online courses in 2019, and her podcast in 2020. Kendra has spoken with thousands, her social media has impacted millions, and she has personally coached hundreds of women through heartbreak. Kendra has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Elite Daily, New York Post, Mind Body Green, and dozens of popular podcasts.
