Gabriel Bump author of “Everywhere You Don't Belong“

The concept of belonging becomes a fixture in our lives from the moment we make eye contact with our parents or ask to share a spot in the sandbox at the playground. We might not understand the role belonging plays in the bigger picture of our lives until much later, but the sensation of not belonging, not fitting in, and, in some cases, feeling unwanted, shapes and warps our path from the very moment it occurs. In his coming-of-age debut novel, Everywhere You Don’t Belong, author Gabriel Bump strikes a rare literary balance between delicate social commentary, heartbreaking realities, and the self-aware humor that makes it possible to forge ahead. Listed as one of Buzzfeed’s most-anticipated books of 2020, Everywhere You Don’t Belong chronicles the adolescence of Claude McKay Love as he navigates the trauma of abandonment, life with his grandmother on the South Side of Chicago, and transitioning into a young Black man in a less than hospitable America. For this free event, hosted by Pages Bookshop, Bump will read from his debut novel and sign copies of the book, which will be made available for purchase.