I Wasn't Supposed to Be Here: Finding My Voice, Finding My People, Finding My Way

by Jonathan Conyers

Overview

As seen on Humans of New York, Jonathan Conyers introduces us to the teachers, his debate coach, a homeless man, and a boy named Diego who changed his life. Booklist calls it “a moving story about finding your supporters and building your future.”
 
Everybody was rooting for Jonathan Conyers after seeing his profile on Humans of New York went viral and sparked millions in donations to the Brooklyn Debate League. The kid who went from struggling to read to being a breakout star on his high school debate team, thanks to a life-changing friendship with his transgender debate coach, captured the heart of America. Jonathan’s story highlights the important role teachers play in opening up worlds of opportunity for the most vulnerable students.

In I Wasn’t Supposed to Be Here, Jonathan shares the full story of his incredible journey escaping the precarious circumstances he was born into, and the teachers, mentors, and guides who helped him along the way.
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Born into a family crippled by addiction and homelessness, Jonathan “failed” kindergarten and was told he would never succeed academically. But instead, Jonathan found ways to defy the limited expectations placed upon him by building a village to save his own life, and realize his dream to get into medical school.
Throughout this heartwarming memoir, we meet the unique and diverse cast of characters who made up Jonathan’s village and helped him change the trajectory of his life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538742501
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	214,121
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Conyers is the cofounder of the Brooklyn Debate League, a nonprofit whose mission is to bring speech and debate to at-risk communities. He has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and more. A graduate of Stony Brook University, he is the founder of Conyers Media and the host of The Professional Winner Podcast. In addition, he is a respiratory therapist at NYU Langone Medical Center, specializing in neonates and pediatrics.  He lives in New York City with his wife and three young children.

Editorial Reviews

Memoirs narrated by their authors always sound more authentic. This audiobook is no different. Jonathan Conyers, who works with at-risk communities in Brooklyn, shares his complex personal story of growing up in a chaotic household with two parents whose drug addictions often kept the family homeless. Yet they were committed to their children obtaining an education. Conyers's story gained social media fame through Humans of New York when he shared his story in 2022. Through the support of his mentors, teachers, classmates, and advisors, he learned that success is not a straight line but zigs and zags. And that it comes from the support of people who believe in him. While the volume of this production is a bit uneven, additional interviews with Conyers's mentors truly enrich his story, which includes descriptions of how he has given back to his community. L.J.C.A. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2023 - AudioFile

2023-06-20
A heartfelt memoir about overcoming long odds to rise from poverty, dysfunction, and the tyranny of low expectations.

Conyers takes his title from a terrible fact: His mother, addicted to crack cocaine, wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but her medical problems would have put her at too much risk. “My mother reluctantly agreed to keep the baby, but she didn’t stop smoking crack,” he writes. “Neither did my father.” His father wound up in jail, while his mother shuffled between housing projects in New York and a crime-riddled neighborhood near Virginia Beach. When he “started to learn that my parents’ devotion to their drug habit was stronger than their devotion to me,” Conyers resolved to live by his considerable wits, helped along by teachers who tried to keep him off the streets. Even so, he writes, “being smart and doing sports weren’t going to keep me safe or alive in the South Bronx,” which required the protection of a gang. The author drifted between often brilliant but occasionally indifferent moments in school until he wandered into a debate class and found that he was a natural fit for a competitive art that relied in equal parts on hard facts, diligent research, and meaningful emotional argument. Throughout, as he stresses, he selected and populated the proverbial village that would raise him, paying attention—if sometimes grudgingly, in weaker moments—to mentors who gave him memorable advice, such as one principal who said, “If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready when opportunity comes your way.” Conyers seized those opportunities, taking another teacher’s advice “not to give up or wait for the world to change its rules for me,” becoming a respiratory therapist and attentively raising a strong family of his own while cultivating the extended family he celebrates, among them a childhood friend who, long imprisoned, “is still part of my village.”

Inspirational but never sentimental, with many lessons on “adding value to the world.

Kirkus Reviews

Conyers can't help but inspire and uplift.”—Good Morning America

“A moving story about finding your supporters and building your future.” —Booklist

“A heartfelt memoir about overcoming long odds to rise from poverty, dysfunction, and the tyranny of low expectations. Inspirational but never sentimental, with many lessons on “adding value to the world.”—Kirkus


“You’ll see the grace inside this story, so much grace that it almost makes you weep. Starting before he was born, Conyers writes, it seemed as though the universe was conspiring against him: he was almost aborted, he was sometimes hungry, and sometimes homeless. His education was often in question, as was his life, but there’s no real complaining in the telling of any of this. Readers just get the facts, in a voice that uplifts as it conveys awe at the presence of angels in a ‘village.’”—Bookworm Sez

"Jonathan's story is a shining example of true, honest resilience: not borne just of his grit, but of luck and community. His battle against racism and poverty is courageous and inspiring. An engrossing read."—Stephanie Foo, author of What My Bones Know

“I Wasn't Supposed to Be Here left me floored—I will be forever transformed, and I highly recommend that you not only read this book, but use it as a tool to strive for more.”——D Watkins, New York Times bestselling author of The Beastside and Black Boy Smile

“His mere living is an act of rebellion, Conyers invites us into a life hard-lived in a family and world that sought to extinguish his light.  With compassion and frustration alike, Conyers navigates New York City, Virginia, and the systems meant to help—but utterly fail—families like his.  Most precious is the vulnerability shown by his admitted imperfection, allowing us to cheer even in those moments for his success.  Conyers builds his own ‘village’ of helpers because his light cannot be extinguished.”  —David Ambroz, author of A Place Called Home

“Jonathan Conyers is an inspiration. There are very few people as committed or determined to giving back to their community, and his energy and dedication to his village are admirable. I Wasn't Supposed to Be Here is a brave, honest, and powerful telling of his story. It's a roadmap for overcoming adversity and giving back.”—Brandon Stanton, author of Tanqueray and Humans of New York

From the Publisher

Jonathan Conyers is an inspiration. There are very few people as committed or determined to giving back to their community, and his energy and dedication to his village are admirable. I Wasn't Supposed to Be Here is a brave, honest, and powerful telling of his story. It's a roadmap for overcoming adversity and giving back.

author of Tanqueray and Humans of New York Brandon Stanton

I Wasn't Supposed to Be Here left me floored—I will be forever transformed, and I highly recommend that you not only read this book, but use it as a tool to strive for more.”

New York Times bestselling author of The Beastside D Watkins

Jonathan's story is a shining example of true, honest resilience: not borne just of his grit, but of luck and community. His battle against racism and poverty is courageous and inspiring. An engrossing read.

author of What My Bones Know Stephanie Foo