Hundred Greatest Love Songs is a genre-bending memoir of a young artist and poet willing to risk his life for his craft. Told in a hundred short chapters and arranged like a playlist, the story is one of transformation—spiritual, sexual and intellectual—as the protagonist, a waiter, carves his path from a greasy diner in small-town Iowa to a prestigious arts college in upstate New York. Along the way, he makes many new friends: misfits and outcasts who become his chosen family, and renowned American poets and artists who show him that it is possible to lead a remarkable life, no matter the circumstances.

At its core, the book is an ode to friendship. It is as much about an artist trying to find his place in the world as it is about the people who help him do so. Ultimately, Hundred Greatest Love Songs serves as a testament to the healing power of poetry and proves that literature, art and music can save lives.