I'm not going to lie, when I first picked up and browsed through this book, Disclosure, I felt like I had been cheated of my money.
But as I kept looking, the book kind of grew on me. It reminds me of the last book we read, 25000000 million things about me too, or whatever it was called--in that it's all about openness.
The different images give a broad idea of what kind of person Ms Lomax is like. her accomplishments, her failures and therefore her aspirations. I was kind of shocked that the documents blatantly showed her phone number and other personal information (and I wonder if she had everything changed after she published this). I'm not a very open person--at least with people I don't know well--so this kind of piece is something beyond my range of comfort. 2500 things certainly was. I'm not sure how I feel about people sharing the intimate details of their life. But this one I didn't think went too far. I can't say I'm going to put together a collage of private documents as a project in the future, but Disclosure certainly an interesting idea.
This also reminds me of a fun book I found at the library once called Letters From a Nut
This book is awesome. Find it. Read it. Some guy sends satirical letters to businesses and their responses are just golden. One of them he informed a hotel that he lost his ancestral sword in their lobby. But that's beside the point!
I never considered that publishing personal documents would take a reader out of their comfort zone. I'm glad you mentioned that. It definitely adds a whole new layer to this weird style of poetry. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI never considered that publishing personal documents would take a reader out of their comfort zone. I'm glad you mentioned that. It definitely adds a whole new layer to this weird style of poetry. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteok I tried to comment and it disappeared, so my appoligies if you get two.i will try and remember what I put down first. short version.. 1. disclosure sounds like something I shouldn't bother reading, as the 2500 random things bored the hell out of me. 2. though maybe we should get kevin to call those numbers, he did this in another class few semesters ago and it was funnier than heck. 3. I will definitely look up that book you recommended, hope it comes in audio. and finally, always enjoy your insight evan. you say a lot of things that I think... --kathleen
ReplyDeleteHey Evan,
ReplyDeleteI, too, wondered about the personal info she provided in this book and whether she changed it after. It's amazing how she doesn't seem to have anything to hide. I think I'm like you in that I wouldn't feel comfortable publishing something so personal.