E. Lynn Harris

E. Lynn Harris (1955-2009) was the author of eleven novels and the memoir What Becomes of the Brokenhearted. Ten of his novels—including In My Father’s House, Mama Dearest, Basketball Jones, and Just Too Good to be True—hit the New York Times bestseller list. Harris was known for writing about men who were black, gay and closeted, introducing many readers to little-talked-about subjects. Unable to sell his first novel, Invisible Life, he self-published and sold copies out of the trunk of his car.  He was born in Flint, Michigan, and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. He attended the University of Arkansas, where he was the first male cheerleader, and remained a dedicated Arkansas Razorbacks fan throughout his life. He divided his time between Atlanta, Georgia, and Fayetteville, Arkansas, before his death in 2009.