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whatever.odt
JD's whatever.odt is an academic memoir that brings together opposite sources -- print and web, humorous and painful, scientific and literary -- to place her personal experiences as a genderqueer individual in a larger cultural context. Offering the text for free continues her motif of opposites: "such a book would have been invaluable to me when I was growing up lost, confused, and bullied."
Combining a youthful and goofy sense of humor with insightful analysis and critique, whatever.odt is a fun and thought provoking read that sweeps across everything from Shakespeare to The Simpsons and from doctoral dissertations to Yahoo! story comments. The artistic form of the text follows its function, with its unusual title, enigmatic chapter titles, and unconventional paragraphing designed to mirror the atypical identity of JD herself.
Although it does incorporate elements of both genres, whatever.odt is neither a coming out nor a transition story. As the memoir of a genderqueer heterosexual, whatever.odt answers the call for transgender and genderqueer individuals to emerge from the shadows of shame by making their bodies seen and their voices heard. It engages in the contemporary initiative to expose and eradicate bullying by supporting and empowering those who are and who have been its victim. And it moves transgenderism and genderqueerness from the reader's newsfeed into the reader's backyard by offering a fresh perspective on the girl next door.
Combining a youthful and goofy sense of humor with insightful analysis and critique, whatever.odt is a fun and thought provoking read that sweeps across everything from Shakespeare to The Simpsons and from doctoral dissertations to Yahoo! story comments. The artistic form of the text follows its function, with its unusual title, enigmatic chapter titles, and unconventional paragraphing designed to mirror the atypical identity of JD herself.
Although it does incorporate elements of both genres, whatever.odt is neither a coming out nor a transition story. As the memoir of a genderqueer heterosexual, whatever.odt answers the call for transgender and genderqueer individuals to emerge from the shadows of shame by making their bodies seen and their voices heard. It engages in the contemporary initiative to expose and eradicate bullying by supporting and empowering those who are and who have been its victim. And it moves transgenderism and genderqueerness from the reader's newsfeed into the reader's backyard by offering a fresh perspective on the girl next door.
- GenresNonfiction
100 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2012
10 people want to read
About the author
J.D. O'Meara
2 books2 followersUnlike many writers, I can't honestly say that I've had a lifelong love for literature and writing. Encouraged throughout most of my schooling to study math and science, I was introduced to literature as a discipline late in my undergraduate career. It was really only during my graduate studies that I began to fully appreciate the act of writing as a form of inquiry and expression. This appreciation notwithstanding, it was still only after a breakdown that I myself turned to writing in a desperate attempt to understand myself.
Although it began as a highly personal and private work, whatever.odt ultimately -- and to my pleasant surprise -- blossomed into precisely the sort of text that I wish I had read when I was younger. I've chosen for this reason to share whatever.odt with anyone whom it might interest, in the hope that the genderqueer individuals who need it most will find and be empowered by it.
Blue Jeans is a far more universal text than whatever.odt in that its narrative structure whisks the reader through the disarray and disjunction of a mental breakdown. My hope is that it will provide vicarious solace for those who have had such an experience, and foster patience and understanding in those who have not.
Although it began as a highly personal and private work, whatever.odt ultimately -- and to my pleasant surprise -- blossomed into precisely the sort of text that I wish I had read when I was younger. I've chosen for this reason to share whatever.odt with anyone whom it might interest, in the hope that the genderqueer individuals who need it most will find and be empowered by it.
Blue Jeans is a far more universal text than whatever.odt in that its narrative structure whisks the reader through the disarray and disjunction of a mental breakdown. My hope is that it will provide vicarious solace for those who have had such an experience, and foster patience and understanding in those who have not.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 30, 2018
Having had questions about my own gender alignment, and what is expected of my assigned gender, I was looking for something that spoke to the struggles with my own identity. O'Meara does this with aplomb. Very well written, her story confirmed the thoughts that I have been having about myself.
May 7, 2016
I hugely enjoyed some parts of this memoir, especially the sections about O'Meara's experiences being forced to choose between the 'two cultures', arts and science, and her thoughts on Shakespeare (I would love to read the original essays she discusses!). I was also very happy to learn about her experiences of LGBT culture in universities in the 90s - O'Meara is not many years older than me, but things move so fast that the times she described were already queer history by the time I was at university in the 2000s.
I have to note, though, that a large portion of this work is devoted to a deconstruction of comments on Yahoo about the runner Caster Semenya and the 'gender test' she was subjected to. As a genderqueer person - albeit white and not often challenged about my gender - I found this very upsetting to read after a while.
Still, with that exception, whatever.odt is a book that would have helped me to no end if it had been available when I was a teenager, and despite its wandering format, I think it's a memoir many people - cis, trans or neither - will enjoy.
I have to note, though, that a large portion of this work is devoted to a deconstruction of comments on Yahoo about the runner Caster Semenya and the 'gender test' she was subjected to. As a genderqueer person - albeit white and not often challenged about my gender - I found this very upsetting to read after a while.
Still, with that exception, whatever.odt is a book that would have helped me to no end if it had been available when I was a teenager, and despite its wandering format, I think it's a memoir many people - cis, trans or neither - will enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews