It took me a bit to get into this book. It was such a short piece and didn't have the clearest thesis. I had hoped that it would be more about his coming to writing and teaching, but the first two thirds felt more like a brief summary of his life prior to the age of 25. The book was definitely too short to be both a memoir and an in depth reflection on the importance of writing and literature. The memoir felt so brief, just scraping the surface, which made him seem like such a boring character... He briefly mentions his father's alcoholism, but overall he comes across as such a bland person. And this is quite possibly a matter of taste--I'm not particularly interested in the writing of happy, well-adjusted writers...
It wasn't until page 76 that it began to get interesting and become more clearly about teaching when he's in the classroom:
"No wonder literature's so confusing," someone said.
"Just like life," another student remarked.
"Just like Life," I agreed, "only books hold still so we can look at them."
This is an interesting sentiment I hadn't thought of previously. Also on page 75 he talks about his first experience teaching and he says, "I feared silence in the classroom, feared the students' boredom or indifference...In defense, I filled the air with nervous talk."
How familiar that feels...
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2 comments:
Thanks for this, Emily. This is not supposed to be a memoir, but rather an extended essay that addresses his inspiration for writing, and specifically his connection with the natural world, which is Milkweed Press's focus.
S
Yes, I did get that. What I meant was that the essay didn't feel particularly focused. I didn't feel an obvious theme/message until the end. It was worth reading though.
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