20201002: Book 2, Post 1: My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

I had an epiphany today in writing class. My professor started the class with a short writing assignment to loosen the muse’s restraints, so to speak. We were required to write nonstop for ten minutes. I looked down at my paper and immediately thought about Gloria Steinem’s My Life on the Road.

During the first week of class, I had gone on Amazon and researched the five memoirs from which we could choose to write about. How do I decide which ones to buy? I tend to be interested in everything so I wouldn’t be able to decide based on plot or reputation. I needed a more quantitative measure, something like price; whistling at my own cunning and congratulating myself, I bought the two cheapest books. As it turns out, many of my classmates picked my first book too. It was fun reading their reviews and getting to see how different people interpret the same book. Now I get what started all those religious wars.

However, I didn’t see anyone review My Life on the Road. Oh well, it’s a sunk cost now; I’m going in blind. Last week, the name Gloria Steinem floated around my mind like a mute ghost; she silently listed her accomplishments, and smiling dumbly, I continued on in ignorance. In Google I trust, and after a quick query, I learned that she is a prominent leader in the women’s equality movement.

When I read a book, I often study the way the author constructed the narrative. What works, what doesn’t, how do the words “look” on the paper, etc? I ask a lot of questions and my way of “critical reading” takes time. In this autobiography, every sentence is crafted with care and filled with meaning; it took awhile to unpack.

…

 I sit in the dark, typing: my flamenco fingers dance across the keys, filling the night with a staccato click-click-click: another sweltering late-Summer evening in Los Angeles. Where is my dance partner? It takes me an eternity to finish the first chapter, the one about her childhood and parents. My hunched shadowy form conceals a secret. I’m inspired.

…

During the ten minutes of writing, I detailed my updated ultimate fantasy. Someday, I hope to retire to Mexico and start a primary school. I’ve always pictured myself as the stern-but-kindly headmaster. Now, thanks to My Life…, I want to chronicle the journey of starting my school and see it published. Perhaps, my first chapter will revolve around Gloria Steinem, my talkative muse.