I read this recently and it made for quick, light, subway fare. It can be trying to concentrate on something high brow or detailed on a distracting subway, and this book is neither one of those. It's a memoir about a late 20s/early 30s male discovering that he's wasting his life away in debt, alcohol, and his own obesity and decides to do something about it. While I certainly admire his gumption to do something about it, the final product will leave you wanting more and wondering what the point of it all is. I mean, it's probably interesting for his friends, but for the lay reader - I have to wonder why we should care? We don't know Mr. MacDonald and from the very beginning he gives us absolutely no reason to care. There are so many great memoirs out there and so many fascinating lives, that this should be farther down on your list of memoir must-reads. Even memoirs that aren't about fascinating lives often at least give us some heart, speak to us in some way, or find a way for us to identify with them. (A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel comes to mind)
Unfortunately, Mr. MacDonald works so hard at creating the "voice" he wants us to hear (or is that really how he talks?) that he keeps us at a distance the whole time. We are never let into his world, his angst or his emotions. Why write a memoir if you're not going to give us a piece of yourself or leave something on the table?
I will admit that perhaps those of the male gender will identify more with this book and actually be relieved at the clinical descriptions of Sam's plight and the lack of any real catharsis or emotion. Perhaps that is exactly what guys want out of a memoir. But, be forewarned, it's still not really all that interesting.
Posts
2 comments:
This is one of my favorite reviews of this book. And I have read them all. Because I wrote it.
Yep. I am Sam MacDonald. And while I am chagrined it did not fit your definition of a good memoir, I appreciate your reasons.
"Why write a memoir if you're not going to give us a piece of yourself or leave something on the table?"
Actually, this was the exact reason I wrote the memoir. In my mind, far too many people leave too much on the table. Far too many give us a piece of themselves. Quite literally, I envisioned this as an anti-memoir memoir.
By that, I mean that I get tired of people blaming their ABC on their XYZ. Oh, gee whiz, I know running the meth lab is a bad idea, but my mom bottle fed me and didn't potty train me until I was nine. Etc.
(Yes. I really do talk this way. For better or worse.)
I really wanted to write a memoir that engaged in no sould searching, no blaming, no figuring anything out. Because way too many people do all that instead of... fixing their lives. Weigh too much? Stop eating. Drunk too much? Stop drinking.
Easy? No. But simple. Really, really simple. As opposed to all this COMPLICATED cultural response to our concerns.
Is this for everyone? Of course not. But I have to give you credit. A lot of people hate the book. But you are one of the few who disliked it a great deal... but still managed to understand what I was getting at.
Thanks for giving it a shot.
I thought this page was very helpful.
ugg boots
ed hardy clothing
ed hardy
Post a Comment