Almost Grown

A literary memoir and coming-of-age story exploring native New Yorker Jesse Malin’s boundless creativity and triumph over daunting challenges, both physical and emotional.

ALMOST GROWN IS A RAW, HONEST, AND OFTEN FUNNY ACCOUNT of how a hyperactive kid from Queens made his dreams come true—and the hustlers, sweethearts, misfits, and lifelong friends he met along the way. With Malin as its streetwise narrator, the book has more in common with The Basketball Diaries or Just Kids than with a standard rock memoir. Although music is at the core of Malin’s soul, Almost Grown welcomes the reader into the tumultuous inner world of a boy from a broken home determined to create a life he could love.

In 2023, Malin was struck with a rare spinal stroke that paralyzed him from the waist down. The longtime runner and vegetarian went public with this news—and his fierce resolve to walk again—in an interview with Rolling Stone. The story was picked up by the New York Times, People, CNN, Variety, the Los Angeles Times, and other outlets worldwide. The massive outpouring of love and support culminated in the release of Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin—with twenty-eight celebrated artists covering his songs to raise money for his recovery. On December 1 and 2, 2024, Malin gave his first public performances since his stroke, taking the stage for two sold-out concerts at New York’s Beacon Theatre.