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Vanishing Point: Not a Memoir
Paperback
Literary FiguresLetters & Essays
Publisher Price: $16.00
ISBN13: 9781555975548
Publisher: Graywolf Press
Published: Mar 30 2010
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.66
Height: 0.60 Width: 6.12 Depth: 8.96
Language: English
Awards: National Book Critics Circle Award
An adventurous exploration of the I in American culture, by the author of Neck Deep and Other Predicaments
Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.
In contemporary America, land of tell-all memoirs and endless reality television, what kind of person denies the opportunity to present himself in his own voice, to lead with I? How many layers of a life can be peeled back before the self vanishes?
In this provocative, witty series of meditations, Ander Monson faces down the idea of memoir, grappling with the lure of selfinterest and self-presentation. While setting out to describe the experience of serving as head juror at the trial of Michael Antwone Jordan, he can't help veering off into an examination of his own transgressions, inadvertent and otherwise. He scrutinizes his private experience of the public funeral ceremony for Gerald R. Ford. He considers his addiction to chemically concocted Doritos and disappointment in the plain, natural corn chip, and finds that the manufactured, considered form, at least in snacks, is ultimately a more rewarding experience than the truth. So why is America so crazy about accurately confessional memoirs?
With Vanishing Point, Monson delivers on the promise shown in Neck Deep, which introduced his winning voice and ability to redefine the essay and puts most memoirs to shame (Time Out Chicago).
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