Matt OrtileRecensioni

The mingling of the personal and the political can feel a little bit all over the place at times in this memoir / essay collection. Ultimately it all more-or-less coheres and (from the perspective of this reader, a good 15 years older than the author) reflects the work that we all do in our 20s to inhabit our identities and grow into - stretch into - our better selves. The moments that were most effective for me were the ones where Ortile makes the connection between the personal and the political clear, voicing the ways the two influence each other with thoughtful analysis, humor, and welcome frankness about his experience as an immigrant and a gay man.

these are long essays, really almost essays made up of smaller essays. generally, i found that certain parts of each essay were excellent, but never found myself feeling that way about any entire essay. there are definitely some interesting connections he's making here and some of the writing is good. i just didn't feel it was sustained over the entire thing.

probably the most thought provoking part for me was when he compared the queer fight (and focus to the exclusion of anything else) for marriage equality to the model minority concept, where "those who prioritize assimilation are rewarded, deemed worthier than other minorities of rights and privileges, thereby inhibiting solidarity with those who don't follow the same path." it's a great comparison.

"My teenage textbooks made footnotes of these events, centered their chapters instead on America's victories, its generals and politicians and ignored whole lands and peoples used as props in the game of American imperialism."