Kevin Guaman
ENGL 210
Professor Dalton
9/17/21
Writing a memoir can be a challenge. The author is exposing their stories to the world while also trying to make it something that will attract audiences to want to read it at all. However, Heavy by Kiese Laymon, Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Diaz, and Fairest by Meredith Talusan are examples of memorable memoirs that audiences could relate to and enjoy reading. Out of the three choices, the book I choose to read is Talusan’s memoir. I would like to read Fairest because it will help me know more about transsexuality, race, and immigration. The activities and research done for class allowed me to learn more about Talusan and her work.
The topic of transsexuality is one of the focal points in Talusan’s memoir. After looking at the cover of the book in one of our activities, the book was bright, a rainbow color, and had a large eyelash in the front. The rainbow represents the LGBTQ+ flag due to her story involving the community. The blurb confirmed that she transitioned from a boy to a girl. This interested me because it relates to my past. I considered transitioning just like she did. However, I never ended up going through with it. The part where a person must decide what to do with this revelation is where our paths diverge. Reading more about the journey she went through as she transitioned and the changes in her life that came from her decision makes for an interesting story. For example, in her article “The Cover of My Face”, Talusan brings up how the thought of how her looks would be perceived if she did transition was a factor in her decision (Talusan, 2020). This is an interesting thought because I thought the same thing. I went through the same process. It helps me know that it was not just me experiencing this. I believe this would help me better understand the life of those who decide to transition from one gender to another. Another topic that is touched upon in her memoir is race.
Race is a factor in Talusan’s journey that she discusses in her book. According to “The Cover of My Face”, She mentions how albinism made her appear whiter and how that gave her more advantages (Talusan, 2020). The usual stories involving race are about the discrimination they suffer due to their skin color and culture. However, Talusan went through a unique situation where she was perceived as white because of her condition. This brought benefits to her that she may have never received if she looked Filipino. This is a unique perspective that no one can really experience. It makes me want to read the memoir to know more about what the advantages are, how did it start, and how did she handle it emotionally. Finally, she mentions in her memoir how she is a first-generation immigrant.
Immigration is a topic Talusan had to experience that is a part of her memoir. Talusan had to leave her home in order to go to the United States. During an interview, she discussed how it was difficult leaving her home and her family to have more opportunities in the United States (CNN Philippines, 2021). This doesn’t directly relate to me because I was born in the United States. However, my family is full of immigrants that had no choice but to leave their homes at a young age in order to get the opportunities they couldn’t find back home. I heard the stories and the struggle of having to grow up quickly and learn how to survive while also providing for the rest of the family back home. During our Page 99 activity, there was a part of her book where she discussed leaving the Philippines and how even with the opportunities, would she be happy if it meant leaving all she loved behind. It is interesting to hear these stories to know what it felt like because it is something I would never truly understand. I can never go through that same exact experience, however, reading it can help me learn to understand it better.
Therefore, Fairest by Meredith Talusan is the book I choose due to it helping me understand immigration, race, and transsexuality. Her memoir goes through each of these topics and I can relate to them due to my experiences growing up. This is significant because her memoir can help me understand the topics through a different point of view.
Citations
CNN Philippines. (2021, July 12). Fil-Am author Meredith Talusan talks about her memoir “Fairest” | New Day [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTBPKGQVJx0&t=11s
Talusan, M. (2020, March 10). The Cover of My Face. Guernica. Retrieved from https://www.guernicamag.com/the-cover-of-my-face/
