Home › Books › Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative
Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative
by
68/99
Critics' Rating Index
70/99
Readers' Rating Index
92/99
Scholars' Citation Index
92/99
Volume of Reviews
74/99
Volume of Reader Ratings
Sign in to add to your shelf, rate, or review this book.
About This Book
Memoir meets craft masterclass in this "daring, honest, psychologically insightful" exploration of how we think and write about intimate experiences—"a must read for anybody shoving a pen across paper or staring into a screen or a past" (Mary Karr). In this bold and exhilarating mix of memoir and master class, Melissa Febos tackles the emotional, psychological, and physical work of writing intimately while offering an utterly fresh examination of the storyteller's life and the questions which run through it. How might we go about capturing on the page the relationships that have formed us? How do we write about our bodies, their desires and traumas? What does it mean for an author's way of writing, or living, to be dismissed as "navel-gazing"—or else hailed as "so brave, so raw"? And to whom, in the end, do our most intimate stories belong? Drawing on her own path from aspiring writer to acclaimed author and writing professor—via addiction and recovery, sex work and Harvard night school—Melissa Febos has created a captivating guide to the writing life, and a brilliantly unusual exploration of subjectivity, privacy, and the power of divulgence. Candid and inspiring, Body Work will empower readers and writers alike, offering ideas—and occasional notes of caution—to anyone who has ever hoped to see themselves in a story.
Reviews
"The book is composed of just four essays, including two previously published and available online."
"Febos's fellow scribes will appreciate her shrewd takes on the intersection of craft and life, and even nonwriters will enjoy the artistry on display throughout."
"Febos takes no prisoners in this strongly worded manifesto—despite her claim on the first page that it is not a manifesto."
"Febos maintains an emphasis on form that is nicely balanced throughout the book by some charming, low-level woo-woo ..."
"In this way, Body Work, is in itself an example of the strength of personal narrative; it's also an argument for how such narratives inevitably create space for community as well as a freer self."
"Practical and empowering, they prepare would-be writers for an 'emotional confrontation with the self' ..."
"Wide-ranging in its theoretical and historical breadth yet intimate in all ways, Febos's book offers the tools readers need to identify, access, process, and articulate hard-won stories of trauma and of love that their flesh holds."
"Of the many texts on the subject, this one feels most engaging and timely ..."
"One of Febos' strengths as a writer is to make connections among poetry, philosophy, psychology, religion, and art."
"Above all, Febos offers the space and tools to reflect, rethink, revisit, and reimagine—in service of good writing, and good living—with grains of truth that reader-writers will want to keep close."
Preview
Reader Reviews
0 reviewsSign in to write a review.
No reader reviews yet. Be the first!