Body Work : The Radical Power of Personal Narrative - Melissa Febos

Body Work

The Radical Power of Personal Narrative

By: Melissa Febos

Paperback | 15 March 2022

At a Glance

Paperback


Limited Stock Available

$33.90

or 4 interest-free payments of $8.47 with

 or 
In Stock and Aims to ship in 1-2 business days

When will this arrive by?

AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Memoir meets craft master class in this "daring, honest, psychologically insightful" exploration of how we think and write about intimate experiences-"a must read for anybody shoving a pen across paper or staring into a screen or a past" (Mary Karr)


In this bold and exhilarating mix of memoir and master class, Melissa Febos tackles the emotional, psychological, and physical work of writing intimately while offering an utterly fresh examination of the storyteller's life and the questions which run through it.
 
How might we go about capturing on the page the relationships that have formed us? How do we write about our bodies, their desires and traumas? What does it mean for an author's way of writing, or living, to be dismissed as "navel-gazing"-or else hailed as "so brave, so raw"? And to whom, in the end, do our most intimate stories belong?
 
Drawing on her own path from aspiring writer to acclaimed author and writing professor-via addiction and recovery, sex work and academia-Melissa Febos has created a captivating guide to the writing life, and a brilliantly unusual exploration of subjectivity, privacy, and the power of divulgence. Candid and inspiring, Body Work will empower readers and writers alike, offering ideas-and occasional notes of caution-to anyone who has ever hoped to see themselves in a story.
Industry Reviews
Named a Most Anticipated Book by Bustle, Marie Claire, Glamour UK, Autostraddle, NET-A-PORTER, AnOther Magazine, Electric Literature, Lit Hub, and The Millions

"Piercing . . . Prepare to rave about this book to everyone you've ever met, seriously." -Lucy Morgan, Glamour UK, A Most Anticipated Book

"Febos consistently proves her skills as a memoirist. She not only succeeds at revealing herself and emotional truth, but also entertains as she does it. Body Work promises not only to delve into the intimate depths of her experiences in trauma, but also the work of writing itself." -Ian MacAllen, Chicago Review of Books

"Unlike most craft books that are either lacking in practicality and process or personality, this book is the best balance of both. A must for nonfiction writers and essayists." -Kateri Kramer, The Rumpus

"Instructive to its core . . . Febos offers the space and tools to reflect, rethink, revisit, and reimagine-in service of good writing, and good living-with grains of truth that reader-writers will want to keep close." -Booklist

"Whip-smart . . . Shrewd takes on the intersection of craft and life . . . This is a wonder." -Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)

"Crucial . . . Sharp insights from a passionate practitioner and champion of memoir." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A book for both writers and readers who feel like their bodies are telling stories . . . Wide-ranging in its theoretical and historical breadth yet intimate in all ways, Febos's book offers the tools readers need to identify, access, process, and articulate hard-won stories of trauma and of love that their flesh holds." -Library Journal (starred review)

"Melissa Febos has written one of the most liberating books on the subject of writing that I can think of. A tender, urgent intelligence, a wisdom that is hard-won, and a rigor born from a love for the craft preside . . . I learned so much reading Body Work that I can't wait to teach and use on the page." -Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

"Melissa Febos's Body Work is the most necessary book about memoir I've read. Daring, honest, psychologically insightful, and absolutely whip smart. A must read for anybody shoving a pen across paper or staring into a screen or a past." -Mary Karr, author of The Liars' Club and The Art of Memoir

"Ferociously smart and piercingly insightful, Body Work is an instant classic of the how-and-why-do-we-write form. With candor and clarity, Melissa Febos explores the complexities of writing courageously and honestly about our lives. It's a book I'll return to again and again." -Cheryl Strayed, author of Brave Enough and Wild

More in Popular Psychology

The Promise : How an everyday hero made the impossible possible - Arnold Dix
Breath : Wake Up to Life - Prem Rawat

$47.75

Open When : A Companion for Life's Twists & Turns - Dr Julie Smith

RRP $36.99

$24.95

33%
OFF
Hidden Potential : The Science of Achieving Greater Things - Adam Grant
You Can Heal Your Life - Louise L. Hay

RRP $24.95

$23.75

The Untethered Soul : The Journey Beyond Yourself - Michael A. Singer

RRP $52.99

$43.35

18%
OFF
Everything Is F*cked : A book about hope - Mark Manson

RRP $34.99

$31.75

How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie