When you're ready A love story

A welcome follow-up to Kareem Rosser's award-winning memoir, Crossing the Line (2021), which was about an inner-city Philadelphia program for youth, Work to Ride, that introduced the author to the sport of polo and equine therapy. This new exemplary work of creative nonfiction follows Rosser as he enters adulthood and experiences the complexities of what it means to love--as in unconditional, familial, and, yes, self-love. Rosser, from an impoverished neighborhood in Philadelphia, is smitten with Lee Lee Jones, an accomplished equestrian from an affluent white family in the suburbs. In addition to coming from vastly different backgrounds, they have to navigate a long-distance relationship. They are planning a future together when a tragic horse-riding accident leaves Lee Lee clinging to life and suffering a traumatic brain injury. During the years of her slow recovery, Rosser finds himself unraveling due to complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Fortunately, a competent therapist helps him navigate his anxiety attacks and unmask his trauma, and he gets a second chance at a loving relationship, marriage, and fatherhood. A tenderhearted story of love, grief, and what it takes to "get back in the saddle." Rosser's writing is relatable, powerful, and transformative.