Respect

Like Weilla wrote in her post, I too am astonished at Eli Clare's accomplishments, given his hardships, and the interesting perspectives he provides given the struggles that he faced through his childhood and adolescence.  First off, he wrote a memoir which in itself is an accomplishment.  I feel like so many people assert that they’re going to write a memoir and have children, or get a job or a dog or something and never get around to it.  On page 20 he writes, “For years I have wanted to write this story…” and he did. And he wrote his story despite his abusive childhood and the physical disabilities he had that made the kinetic process of writing all the more difficult. Moreover his frankness within his story is so beautiful, and it makes his memoir not just an accomplishment done and checked off his list, but truly makes it into a work of art. His comfort in his past and identity makes me as the reader not only feel intrigued to hear his story, but also makes me feel comfortable in my own identity and my explorations of what exactly that might be.   There’s something so touching about his honesty for me—the good the bad and the ugly are all there for the reader to see. This exposure, in my mind, is everything a memoir should be, and I can’t wait to read more.