Naturally Tan: A Memoir

A USA Today Hottest Book of the Summer for 2019!A Best Nonfiction Book for 2019 in Women’s Day!One of Hello Giggles’s “Most Anticipated Books of 2019 to Add to Your Reading List”!“Just when I thought I knew everything about Tan, he hits me with this. His story is so heartwarming, and wickedly funny.” ―Antoni PorowskiIn this heartfelt, funny, and touching memoir, one of the stars of Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning smash-hit Queer Eye reveals how an Englishman raised in a traditionally religious home became a fashion icon―and the first openly gay, South Asian man on television―simply by being Naturally Tan.In this heartfelt, funny, touching memoir, Tan France tells his origin story for the first time. With his trademark wit, humor, and radical compassion, Tan reveals what it was like to grow up gay in a traditional South Asian family, as one of the few people of color in South Yorkshire, England. He illuminates his winding journey of coming of age, finding his voice (and style!), and marrying the love of his life―a Mormon cowboy from Salt Lake City. From one of the stars of Netflix’s runaway hit show Queer Eye, Naturally Tan is so much more than fashion dos and don’ts―though of course Tan can’t resist steering everyone away from bootcut jeans! Full of candid observations about U.S. and U.K. cultural differences, what he sees when you slide into his DMs, celebrity encounters, and the behind-the-scenes realities of “reality TV,” Naturally Tan gives us Tan’s unique perspective on the happiness to be found in being yourself.In Tan’s own words, “The book is meant to spread joy, personal acceptance, and most of all understanding. Each of us is living our own private journey, and the more we know about each other, the healthier and happier the world will be.”

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of June 2019: Naturally Tan is two delightful books in one. First, it’s a memoir recalling how a South Asian boy from a conservative immigrant family grew up in South Yorkshire, navigating multiple issues: parents who pushed him to become a doctor or lawyer though he knew his passion was for fashion, the occasionally violent racism of his working class neighborhood, and being gay (a fact he kept from his parents until he was 34). While Naturally Tan will be catnip to the fans who know him from the show that made him famous, Netflix’s Queer Eye, readers who never watched an episode will also find this memoir captivating. Being both “gay and brown” exposed Tan to bigotry early on, and the breezy way he sidesteps, ignores, or eviscerates racists, bigots, and shallow people, pointing out that their behavior says much about them and nothing about him, is inspiring. And that’s the second book: one that not only says “it gets better” but illustrates what Tan did to make it get better. Filled with witty anecdotes, useful checklists (like the art of not being a b**** at work), Tan’s dos and don’ts of first dates, a note on the representation of people of color in media, advice on how to respond to nosy questions (“my marriage is of course your business, completely”), and how to be the version of gay that you want to be, this pairing of fashion with compassion has never been a better match. –Vannessa Cronin

Review

Named a “Best Nonfiction Book” for 2019 in Women’s Day!

One of Hello Giggles’s “Most Anticipated Books of 2019 to Add to Your Reading List”!

“Tan’s book is moving, insightful, and hilare. Any bad stories about me are totally untrue, but the rest is brilliant. Best book of the millennium!”―Jonathan Van Ness

“Just when I thought I knew everything about Tan, he hits me with this. His story is so heartwarming, and wickedly funny.”―Antoni Porowski

“Tan France has wife words to offer across all areas of life. France gives readers a candid and intimate look at his past and shares all that he’s learned about being a spouse, television personality, and role model.”Time (“Books You Need to Read this Summer”)

“[Fran] pens a heartfelt memoir and shares his experience growing up gay in a South-Asian Muslim family in a predominantly white English community―and the lessons he’s learned along the way.”USA Today (“Hottest Books of the Summer”)

“Feisty and affecting. France’s charming anecdotes and candid opinions exhibit no shortage of humor, and fans of the TV personality will revel in the peek into his colorful history.”Publishers Weekly

“France shares style tips and behind-the-scene stories in his recognizable-on-the-page voice with lots of humor and well-formed opinions.”Booklist

“A funny and thoughtful memoir full of attitude, heart, and bravado. France has a knack for straight talk peppered with feistiness and humor. . . he has learned how to be visible and shine as his refreshingly and unapologetically authentic self.”–Shelf Awareness

See all Editorial Reviews
A USA Today Hottest Book of the Summer for 2019!A Best Nonfiction Book for 2019 in Women’s Day!One of Hello Giggles’s “Most Anticipated Books of 2019 to Add to Your Reading List”!“Just when I thought I knew everything about Tan, he hits me with this. His story is so heartwarming, and wickedly funny.” ―Antoni PorowskiIn this heartfelt, funny, and touching memoir, one of the stars of Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning smash-hit Queer Eye reveals how an Englishman raised in a traditionally religious home became a fashion icon―and the first openly gay, South Asian man on television―simply by being Naturally Tan.In this heartfelt, funny, touching memoir, Tan France tells his origin story for the first time. With his trademark wit, humor, and radical compassion, Tan reveals what it was like to grow up gay in a traditional South Asian family, as one of the few people of color in South Yorkshire, England. He illuminates his winding journey of coming of age, finding his voice (and style!), and marrying the love of his life―a Mormon cowboy from Salt Lake City. From one of the stars of Netflix’s runaway hit show Queer Eye, Naturally Tan is so much more than fashion dos and don’ts―though of course Tan can’t resist steering everyone away from bootcut jeans! Full of candid observations about U.S. and U.K. cultural differences, what he sees when you slide into his DMs, celebrity encounters, and the behind-the-scenes realities of “reality TV,” Naturally Tan gives us Tan’s unique perspective on the happiness to be found in being yourself.In Tan’s own words, “The book is meant to spread joy, personal acceptance, and most of all understanding. Each of us is living our own private journey, and the more we know about each other, the healthier and happier the world will be.”

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