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A review by sammies_shelf
Body Work by Melissa Febos
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
"Since when did telling our own stories and deriving their insights become so reviled?"
So, I have to be honest. I have not yet read any of Melissa Febos' memoirs, but she lives in my brain as a master memoirist. Because of this, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of her book in which she talks about writing itself. In BODY WORK, Febos discusses the difficulties and the power of owning and sharing personal narratives. She discusses writing about real people, working through trauma, and healimg through storytelling. It is such a remarkable experience to listen to a writer narrate their own book, and this was no exception. Listening to this book feels like a master class. While I am not a writer, this book gave me the opportunity to assess my use of personal source in my work as an actor as well as the kind of work I want to create and the parts of me that fuel those passions.
If you love memoirs, you will love this look into a memoirist's process! Now, I'm going to go read all of Melissa Febos' books.
BODY WORK is out now!
Thank you so much to Highbridge Audio/RB Media and Netgalley for the ALC!
"I have revised the story of my victimhood and my culpability. I have completed what was interrupted, what stuttered like a skipping record for decades. I have brought to it my questions like some oracle, made myself a supplicant to the past, asked her what I could not when I was her, and told her what she could not tell herself. Through this process, I have become able to love her."
So, I have to be honest. I have not yet read any of Melissa Febos' memoirs, but she lives in my brain as a master memoirist. Because of this, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of her book in which she talks about writing itself. In BODY WORK, Febos discusses the difficulties and the power of owning and sharing personal narratives. She discusses writing about real people, working through trauma, and healimg through storytelling. It is such a remarkable experience to listen to a writer narrate their own book, and this was no exception. Listening to this book feels like a master class. While I am not a writer, this book gave me the opportunity to assess my use of personal source in my work as an actor as well as the kind of work I want to create and the parts of me that fuel those passions.
If you love memoirs, you will love this look into a memoirist's process! Now, I'm going to go read all of Melissa Febos' books.
BODY WORK is out now!
Thank you so much to Highbridge Audio/RB Media and Netgalley for the ALC!
"I have revised the story of my victimhood and my culpability. I have completed what was interrupted, what stuttered like a skipping record for decades. I have brought to it my questions like some oracle, made myself a supplicant to the past, asked her what I could not when I was her, and told her what she could not tell herself. Through this process, I have become able to love her."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexual assault