“Myriam es una diosa furiosa.”

– Luis Alberto Urrea

Myriam Gurba is a writer and artist. She is the author of the true-crime memoir Mean, a New York Times editors’ choice. O, the Oprah Magazine, ranked Mean as one of the best LGBTQ books of all time. Publishers’ Weekly describes Gurba as having a voice like no other. Her essays and criticism have appeared in the Paris Review, TIME.com, and 4Columns. She has shown art in galleries, museums, and community centers. She lives in Long Beach, California, with herself.

“Honest and darkly funny, the book is riddled with moments that will have you nodding, cringing, and crying right along with the author.”

Harper’s Bazaar

“Like most truly great books, Mean made me laugh, cry and think. Myriam Gurba’s a scorchingly good writer.”

Cheryl Strayd, NYTimes

“What makes this so good? There are many answers, beginning with Gurba’s radical and necessary empathy.”

David Ulin, Alta Online

“A scalding memoir that comes with a full accounting of the costs of survival, of being haunted by those you could not save and learning to live with their ghosts.

Parul Sehgal, NYTimes

“Stop everything and read this brave and tender book.”

Carmen Giménez Smith, Oprah Magazine