Archive for the ‘Non-Fiction: Memoir’ Category

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

ISBN: 0060581808
238 pages
published in 1932.

What is there to say about this book / series that hasn’t already been said over the years? I was watching something on the History Channel a few days ago that got me thinking about these books again and I had a very strong urge to reread them. Of course the last time I had I think I was in second grade or something and the ones that weren’t read aloud to me in class I checked out from the school library, so I didn’t actually own them. I took a walk to Barnes & Noble and slipped into the children’s section (I always feel so self-conscious shopping in there, does anyone else?) and noticed that they had been republished recently in a full-color version. Not only that but the paper the book is printed on is EXCELLENT quality. I was very pleased. I didn’t mind laying down $9.00 for something that will obviously last a very long time. I’m sure my partner will agree that this is a series we’d like any future children of ours to have access to, so I think these excellent quality editions of the series is a great investment.

Anyway, the story was just as heartwarming and wholesome and all of those other slightly embarrassing words that are applied to it as I remembered it. The writing style, though simple, was adorable and innocent and the very thinly veiled fact that the author of the story is the little girl described adds wonderfully to its magic.

I remember being so captured by the descriptions of food and hunting and building and things and how each and every aspect of their lives seemed so special and appreciated. These really are excellent books for children to read, as long as the context of the story is explained to them properly (what with the roles given to men & women and how that was how things were back then). I remember reading about how Laura appreciated the little ragdoll she got for Christmas one year so much and feeling a bit angry at myself for not appreciating the things I got as much as she did – for something so simple, too! The way Ingalls describes her life really does make everything sound so special.

So, I’ll definitely be re-reading the entire series again and buying them in this wonderful new format as I do so.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

ISBN: 0618871713
232 pages
published in 2006.

My “Literature And Sexualities” course this semester is responsible for me reading this ‘graphic memoir’. It tells the story of Alison Bechdel (yes, the author) and her experiences growing up, coming to terms with her sexuality and, coincidentally the sexuality of her father as well, who seemed to have been hiding his own sexuality until the day he was hit by a truck (a death that Alison herself saw as a suicide).

I never expected to be so excited by this book. When I saw we were going to be reading a graphic novel in my literature course, I got a bit peeved because, well, it’s a LITERATURE course, goddamnit! Where are my novels?! But I was so pleased with this. It has made me love my professor even more than I already did. So far, her books for the class have been incredibly good. The ease with which I found myself relating to Alison (and, oddly, some of her habits – such as the OCD she describes as a child) helped draw me into the books. Her illustrations are just perfect. The allusions to literature that this memoir is THICK with helps appeal to me as a reader and an English major as well as another gay person.

She is not just a good writer, as her story is compelling and well written, but an impressive artist as well. This is a very important book, I think. I feel privileged in that I was able to learn about her life.

Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent

ISBN: 0143038702
304 pages
published in 2006.
November 22nd – December 19th.
You can buy this book at this link.

Self-Made Man is a woman’s attempt to immerse herself in the world of men. To look like one, act like one and be treated like one in her everyday life. As Ned, she joins an all-male bowling team, spends time at a monastery, takes a competitive job and even takes part in a men’s support group. Throughout this, she attempts to make insightful comments about gender roles and expectations.

I appreciate her attempt, really. I think somewhere in there is an honest effort to understand her place in the world amongst all of these other people who are trying to understand theirs. However, it unfortunately falls pretty flat. I think what stood out to me most of all was the fact that I really think she already had ideas of where she would end this experiment. She claims throughout the book that she did not, however, despite her lengthy adventure she comes out at the end with it mostly tied up into a neat little package. Even moreso than that, she doesn’t seem to have gained much by it. To her, men are either grotesque and animalistic or damaged, hurt little boys. She makes excuses for the behavior that she deems inappropriate but there seems to be this undercurrent in her writing that women are more in control, women can cope better, women, despite their struggles in society, are most of all fuller human beings. I was a bit disgusted.

I think most of all she attempted to make men fit what she wanted men to be. She studied them as though they were savage animals at a zoo and tried to make sense of their behavior as though they were sub-human. Men act this way because their relationships with their fathers are strained, men speak like this to women because they are intimidated, etc, etc. Yes, of course the dominant culture for white men of European ancestry is emotionally suppressive, maybe even emotionally crippling, but she seems to completely disregard the fact that these people she studied were more than just a cause and effect. She developed what seemed like friendly relationships with many of them, but continued to see them as subjects rather than human beings.

I think if she had really put her heart into this she would have come out at the end not with the conclusion that men and women are separate species but more like identical members of the same species that have adapted in certain ways, much like birds adapted to the sky and some to the water. As a female-to-male transsexual that has truly experienced the culture shock of living in two different words as far as gender goes in a social outlook, I promise that men and women are not as different as they seem. There are fundamental differences, yes, at least fundamental enough to make it impossible for me to live as a woman but fleeting enough that my relationships with either are capable of being just as fulfilling. It is the individual and not the gender and the responsibility and understanding they have of themselves and for their actions. I’m tired of the excuses and weak attempts at understanding that come from both sides. We must as human beings be understanding and helpful when it comes to overcoming some of the restrictions that have been placed on both men and women, but ultimately we must teach each other to understand and overcome these boundaries ourselves.

Marley & Me by John Grogan

ISBN: 0060817097
320 pages
published in 2005.
October 11th – November 22nd.
You can buy this book at this link.

I went into this book expecting to be unimpressed. I’m not really into dog-books – or really books written by animal-lovers at all. Why? Pet owners have this really nasty habit of being completely obnoxious and overbearing about their animals. I care a great deal about the animals that have shared my life with me but I try not to be annoying about it. People have a tendency to attribute these unreal, fictional qualities to their pets. Also – never ending photographs. I hate pet owners.

However, Marley & Me was more a story of a growing family – a family that, coming from my own circumstances, I looked upon with a mixture of curiosity, joy and resentment. It was the sort of family that I had always wanted to be a part of and never had a chance to. No matter though – it was well told, clever and I enjoyed the author’s humor and personality. It’s really clear from the beginning that this is a man that has experience talking to and about people and knows how to appeal to them and get on their good sides.

It has all the makings of a good book, and the title character is certainly lovable enough. It’s not hard to come away with what the author intended you to take from this book. It’s well-written, interesting, funny and emotional at all the right moments and altogether an enjoyable read. Guilty pleasure it may be, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it. Diversionary reading at its best.

A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer

ISBN: 1558743669
195 pages
published in 1995.
October 17th – October 19th.
You can buy this book at this link.

I suppose you can look at this book from two angles. One – everything this author says is true, he is a survivor of child abuse, he really did go through everything he said he did, etc, etc. Or two – everything is either false or victimized by serious hyperbole. It’s sensationalized. Blah, blah.

I am really tempted to agree with position two, due to my own pessimism (or perhaps it’s optimism). You are free to disagree with me. However, there are some holes in this story that beg for questioning. Perhaps they are answered in his subsequent two books, but I doubt it. For one, there are some things described in this book that just seem to transcend reality. For instance, there was a period where he described being stabbed by his mother and having his blood soak through like three shirts and bed sheets, etc, and I’m sorry, but a kid doesn’t survive that. He also describes being locked in a bathroom with the vents closed and breathing in a mixture of ammonia and Clorox for ‘what must have been over an hour’. He wouldn’t have survived that, either. An adult wouldn’t have, for that matter.

If he really did go through everything he described, I apologize, and I’m glad he was able to rise above all of that and is helping others do the same

But I think he’s full of shit. And for what it’s worth, the writing sucked – no defense of being in a ‘child’s point of view’ is going to work. It didn’t at all resemble a child’s point of view – it resembled someone that couldn’t write and needed an excuse for it.

« Older Entries