“Enigmas, One Offs, Weirdos and Outcasts…”

Hopefully this post makes up for that last post. Soon as I posted it I cringed. Writing posts that read awkward is never my intent. The only reason I didn’t remove it was due to this intangible argument going on… in my head. “Write something else.” “No, Leave it Alone.” 

In the end I left it alone, somewhat irked by my weird boss…that being, the tyrant in my head ruling on what’s odd, weird and not fitting in with ‘normal.’ I didn’t think about it then, but thought about it later; the real reason why I left that post alone.

All be dern, and I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me sooner, the fact that I do so much digging—really digging—to find ‘unique’ stories... the whole impetus behind why I read, write, and blog about books. Shucks, it's not easy to find personal stories that cross social, gender, color, economic and national demographics sharing insight and experiences outside proverbial boxes. I dig for the anomalies and one offs, those trailblazers who’ve stepped up on platforms when no one was in the room. And so what if the story (in spots) is a little awkward, or if I don’t rally around every single perspective shared. 

As it would be, I read Dorothy Butler Gilliam’s ‘Trailblazer' first, (thoughts here); followed by Loni Love’s ‘I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To’ (thoughts here)… when conceptions rallying around norms and foibles moved me to write this post.

In this particular instance, while I didn’t come across either Gilliam’s or Love’s memoirs easily, both were fairly relatable. There have been other memoirs however, (also accidentally discovered), that really dragged me outside my little comfort box. The greatest by far was Gregory Howard Williams ‘Life on the Color Line’ and Michael Patrick MacDonald’s ‘All Souls’; in addition to a book I read as a child, ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’—Anne Frank. (read early version published before 1970)

In today’s climate I find it very relevant to familiarize ourselves with a range of perspectives and experiences. For me this means scouring for books to read (and recommend) '...so that you don't have to'. (Thanks Loni!) It's a type education I rank above most because it contains many diverse applications and rewards. Plus, and truth be told too... I do what I do, because I love what I do.

A Labor of Love.

#ILoveReading #ILoveMemoirs #JustRead2GreatMemoirs #ILoveUniqueStories #HappyLaborDay #JustBlogged