America's Boy: A Memoir

America's Boy: A Memoir

by Wade Rouse

4.4 (91)

4.4 stars from 91 reviews


$2.99KU83% off peak

Last checked: May 29, 2026

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Fans of these authors will like this...

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Fans of these books will like this...

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Perfect for you if...

  • You grew up queer in a conservative place and recognise the specific pain of hiding who you are to protect your grieving parents.
  • You love memoirs that balance heartbreak with genuine humour, where the writer doesn't perform victimhood but lets the absurdity speak for itself.
  • You appreciate stories about rural America told by someone who actually lived there, not someone parachuting in to judge it.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You prefer memoirs that move chronologically without doubling back, as Rouse weaves past and present throughout.
  • You need heavy-handed political commentary about conservative values rather than understanding presented through messy family dynamics.
  • You're looking for a coming-out story with a neat triumphant arc, not one complicated by the death of a sibling and years of struggling in between.

About this book

In this memoir, Wade Rouse recounts his Midwestern childhood and coming of age as a gay man. Born in Granby, a small farm town in the southwest Missouri Ozarks, Rouse felt out of place from an early age—a feeling that crystallized when he participated in his family's mock Miss America pageant at age five, wearing his grandmother's red heels and his mother's black-and-white polka-dot bikini. Life in his conservative hometown became more difficult after his older brother died shortly after Rouse graduated junior high school. Rouse responded by suppressing his sexuality to spare his parents further grief. Over the following years, he struggled with obsessive-compulsive behaviors and overeating before eventually coming out to himself, losing weight and gaining confidence. Rouse's account blends humor with heartfelt reflection on his family, exploring themes of acceptance and pride. The memoir captures both joyful and painful memories from a particular era in rural Middle America, offering an intimate portrait of a family and the personal journey toward self-acceptance.

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Free$8.99$17.99Apr '25Jul '25Sep '25Oct '25May '26
$1.99$17.99

Currently on sale at $2.99 — 83% off peak. Price has dropped 7 times over the last 13 months. Goes on sale roughly every 57 days.

Sales Rank

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#35,163#448,544#861,924Jun '25Oct '25Nov '25May '26

Currently around #185K in the Kindle store — a niche title.

Rating & Reviews

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4.0★4.5★5.0★Nov '25May '26May '26RatingReviews

Currently 4.4★ from 91 reviews

Gaining approximately 2 new reviews per month. Rating has remained stable at 4.5 over the tracking period.

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Free$8.99$17.99Apr '25Jul '25Sep '25Oct '25May '26PredictedMay '26

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This book is currently discounted at $2.99. It typically returns to around $17.99.

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Wade Rouse

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