The Misfit’s Manifesto by Lidia Yuknavitch
After watching Yuknavitch’s TED Talk on Misfits (which if you have not seen it, check it out here), I ordered The Misfit’s Manifesto on Amazon. It is described as a “love letter to all those who can’t ever seem to find the ‘right’ path.”
Since I throughly enjoyed The Chronology of Water (arguably one of my favorite books of all time), I expected to enjoy The Misfit’s Manifesto. I was not disappointed. This short book is a compilation of stories from different people – the common thread being feelings of not fitting in, not belonging. The narrator weaves between her own stories of the loss of her daughter, struggles with addiction, and sexual assault and others stories of similar nature.
One particular passage resonated deeply with me – “We misfits are the ones with the ability to enter grief. Death. Trauma. And emerge. But we have to keep telling our stories, giving them to each other, or they will eat us alive.” As people that are living with grief and loss, it is important that we continue to tell our story, and the stories of those who no longer have a voice.
