Corpus Memoria: Hair

by Avis Barlow, Claire Dierksen (designer), Gregory Snook (cover_art)

86 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2024

Reviews

[Elisa Sinnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for a number of audiences. First of all, (as a former teacher) I want to thank all the young folk who keep pushing the conversations about race/gender/identity/climate/politics all of it. You are making a wider field for all of our collective liberation.

So what's going on with Hair? It doesn't really fit into a neat category, but let's call it a Queer coming of age story that not only brings us to a mountain meadow/true soul mate scene so we can breathe.... (sorry plot spoiler there) but is realistic and tough. ....with individuals going through life in unsafe spaces and times/but also the whole world going through the Covid-19 lockdowns. It IS a modern love story.

Bravo! To Avis Barlow

[Rebecca Kuder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a beautiful hushed urgency.
Here's an example:

p. 2: “For some of us, there are no boxes of journals we’ve been keeping since kindergarten or albums of family photos. Stories are tagged on our skin, our organs, our bones, and in our cells. Our minds have already been stripped clean.
While others sleep, I put on my coat and gloves and spend time in this meat locker. I pick up each part and put it up to my left ear and listen to the piles and piles of stories here. Stories queer people, women, and children have lived many times.”

[Christa Orth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corpus Memoria: Hair pulls the reader through a complex world of embodied identities. The shapes of queerness, gender exploration, parenthood, romantic love, and grief are all revealed here, woven into a web of self-discovery. My favorite pieces are "Things I Don't Want My Phone to Know" and "I Remember." Queer, nonbinary, trans, and cis readers alike will resonate with these beautifully crafted stories.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this short but delicious book absolutely riveting. Incredibly resonant and profound. Lyrical and intense. Memories of an earlier generation of queer life brought back my own memories and made me feel less alone. Landmarks of the narrator’s gender journey were similarly resonant. Truly powerful writing. An impressive achievement. I’ll be buying more copies to give away!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unusual book taught me a lot -- and not just about hair. It surprised and delighted me and gave me a lot to think about.