The Argonauts
by Maggie Nelson
The Argonauts by
Maggie Nelson is her free-flowing, true-life story. Nelson describes the
journey of marrying a female-to-male transitioned partner, the adoption of
their son, the relationship with her parents (and consequent loss of her mother
to cancer) and the pregnancy/birth of her son Iggy. Nelson’s style of writing
is drawn from other influential authors, particularly Roland Barthes. Her writing
moves from inspirations from her life to moments of pain surrounding issues
related to gender. She tells of the time
she is stalked by an older white male recounting the death of her aunt Jane in
the book she authored by the same name.
Her ability to interweave sexuality/gender transitioning, cancer, love,
raising a step child, and the uncertainty of Prop 8 in California keeps the
reader engaged throughout. Nelson is a
prolific author whose style matches many of the students of today who stay
connected in ‘short bites’ of narrative.
Complex topic, complex writing, depth beyond words. It is a relatively short read but will take
some time to understand all of the themes and messages.
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