Week 6: Walking In The Shoes of Memoirs

My 4th and 5th grade teacher (I had a split class, and the same teacher for both of them) stressed the importance of the first sentence hooking a reader in. It had to be a "grabber," she called it. My teacher preferred these sentences to be something that set the immediate setting or described an action. Lena Dunham's first sentence in her memoir Growing Up In Therapy didn't do exactly that, but still had another effective way of hooking the reader in. "I am eight, and I am afraid of everything" (Dunham) intrigues the reader. It's short, sweet, and allows the reader to ask "why?" As many kids are almost stupidly fearless.

Her story was engaging, but as she went on, I could see myself as her, or see myself in her shoes less and less. One of the many reasons was her parent's willingness to put her through therapy many times, and fix her problems. I didn't have that luxury. So I didn't know what it was like to be juggled between therapists. Another reason was her behavior that she described seemed a little extreme. I'm not saying she's lying, I'm saying that I don't know how much of myself I see in the elephant from Disney's Tarzan.

But the point of the memoir is for Lena Dunham to tell her story. Just because I don't particularly relate to it, doesn't mean that someone else who suffers from the same mental issues wouldn't. Plus, I thought it was an enjoyable read. The only gripe I have with her story is that the setting was a little confusing at first. She later revealed this took place in New York, but I'm still not sure of the time frame that her story took place in (80's? 90's?).

Ironically, I related to the excerpt Cousins on the other hand. Albeit not with my cousin, I know what it's like to have a "friend breakup," if you will. I know what it's like to reflect on the ending of those relationships and forget what you fought about, or to not know to begin with. I'm happy for the author, though. She was able to make up with her cousin 2 years later. I don't think I've ever made up with a friend after a huge fight, I still sort of keep my distance even if said ex-friend wants to be in my life. I wonder what that make-up hug is like?

In contrast to Growing Up In Therapy, Cousins tells a quick tale - with emphasis on the "tell" part. A story that is meant to be told in the length of a book thrives on the juicy details, especially if there's drama involved. The author gave more introspection to how she felt about the fight and her cousin, and it made the excerpt feel more like a journal entry than a memoir.

But even if you're telling the truth, I understand that there's just some things that aren't meant to be shared. In fact, because not everything was spelled out, it seemed as though the authors were telling the truth. You skimp out on certain details to most people, don't you?