A harrowing and heartfelt essay collection weaving narratives about
family, gun violence, art, and the American Dream.
Two weeks before her grandfather purchased a gun, Ashley Marie Farmer's
grandmother tripped as she walked across their living room. It was a
swift accident on an ordinary day: her chin hit the floor; her cervical
spine shattered. She asked, "I'm paralyzed, aren't I?" Later, thinking
to put her out of her misery, he kissed his sleeping wife of sixty-three
years and shot her in the chest. He tried to shoot himself too, but the
weapon broke apart in his hands. He was immediately arrested. This is
the scene we are greeted with at the outset of Farmer's stunning
collection of hybrid essays. One of its greatest features is the variety
of voices, a kaleidoscopic approach that corrals in autobiography, audio
transcripts, media, legal documents, internet comments, short prose
pieces, and more. The result is a moving, deeply satisfying, and
eye-opening story. Ashley Marie Farmer is a profound writer who is
clearly here to stay, her voice a true gift to our times.