David Martinez

Praise for Bones Worth Breaking

“Immersive . . . [Martinez’s debut] revitalizes well-worn themes of racism, addiction, and religious trauma with his sense of urgency and vivid language. This marks [him as] a writer to watch.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Arresting . . . Martinez holds nothing back when writing about his upbringing as a multiracial Mormon in Idaho, family dysfunction, living with addiction, and surviving complicated losses—but the heart of this book is found in his defining relationship with his brother, and what it means to share your life and your wounds with someone you ultimately cannot save.” 
―Nicole Chung, Esquire

“Searing . . . a story that needs to be shared.” 
―Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful

"Martinez’s love for [his brother] is woven throughout this book, as he writes evocatively about the joys and pains of their shared lives and divergent paths as adults. Readers will connect with Martinez’s honest and revelatory writing.” 
―Laura Chanoux, Booklist

"Bones Worth Breaking is a wise, vulnerable and moving elegy for a best friend and soulmate who just happens to be family. It is also a kaleidoscopic coming-of-age memoir whose power lies in its gentle refusal of identity essentialism and narrative authority, operating instead through attitudes of hesitance, searching, restlessness, and deep compassion. This is an unforgettable story."
—Chantal V. Johnson, author of Post-Traumatic

"A deeply moving and courageous story of brotherly love. In this most intimate and soul-baring of memoirs, David Martinez describes not one, but many unforgettable odysseys through addiction and migration, identity and faith."
—Héctor Tobar, author of Our Migrant Souls

"In this heart-felt depiction of the lives of two brothers who end up taking different life paths—one that leads to redemption and the other to a tragic end—David Martinez reminds us of the danger that comes
with hiding our wounds. Beautiful and deeply moving, Bones Worth Breaking is a book worth reading."
—Obed Silva, author of The Death of My Father the Pope

"Written with uncanny grit and beauty, Bones Worth Breaking is as much a personal revelation as it is an American reckoning. Martinez's prose at times left me breathless."
—Liska Jacobs, author of The Pink Hotel