YOU CAN’T GET RID OF ME
Memoir | LGBTQ |Ancestry
Augusten Burroughs’ Running with Scissors, with a touch of Scotty Bowers’ Full Service. An unflinching reveal of growing up LGBTQ in the 1970s, and a quest for belonging. Jesse Scott’s memoir chronicles his 50-year search for his birth family, blending humor, resilience, and ancestry, offering hope and inspiration to all.
Do you know your roots? DNA results and a search for his birth family take author Jesse Scott on a wild and rocky pursuit of his past as he uncovers the truth one piece at a time, a journey that redefines his identity and reshapes his understanding of what family truly means.
Jesse and his biological brother Lee were adopted as children and led challenging lives—from a stint in a mental institution to sex work and addiction. After years of looking for his birth parents, the technology of DNA and social media, plus a hearty tenacity, help solve the mystery of his birth, while creating new questions. A story of survival told with humor, courage, and unsparing honesty. Scott’s memoir is a triumph of the human spirit, offering hope to anyone who’s ever had to fight to be themselves.
Available in hardcover and paperback
Jesse Scott’s debut memoir, “You Can’t Get Rid of Me,” is Augusten Burroughs’ Running with Scissors, with a touch of Scotty Bowers’ Full Service. Scott’s story of growing up a gay boy in the 1960s and 1970s, adopted by evangelical parents who committed him to an adult psychiatric institution, is both harrowing and triumphant. From surviving a pedophile foster dad, to becoming a gay escort in Hollywood, to eventually finding his birth family and Native American roots, Scott’s memoir is an inspiration to every queer kid forced to pretend to be someone else to survive. You’ll be cheering for Jesse by the end.
—Amber Fraley, author of Kansas GenExistential
Jesse Scott is former case manager for people living with HIV, former caregiver, and is currently living out his retirement in the deserts of the west coast. He continues to surprise people who have known him for years, for still being alive and kicking.
