Review of book: “Autobiography of a Face,” by Lucy Grealy, with an afterword by Ann Patchett, 1994. New York: Houghton Mifflin, paper.
Challenges of living with a marred facial appearance
What a very humbling and insightful book about a young author who has cancer as a child and who tells a story not just of losing half her jaw but also of the many thoughts going through her mind as she becomes an adolescent, teenager, college student, and adult. Her writing is powerful, and her insights about other people—and their hang-ups—are all indicative of a world that judges us mainly on impressions and appearances.
Lucy Grealy is a great writer. She is Irish—having been born there—and American because she grows up here. She starts dealing with illness at a young age and is a complicated child who thinks through all of her emotions, friendships with others, obsession with horses, and ideas about what life means and how we come through a difficult life.
Many people have challenges which they must confront on a daily basis, whether it is lack of a home or too much weight. There are also more pressing instances, such as a face that frightens people. A face that is never going to be “corrected” to look like the faces of other people.
Reporting on that challenge, and on her cancer, Grealy has done a fantastic job of chronicling her obstacles and frustrations… all the while becoming the incredible communicator she was meant to be.
But Grealy is a strong writer and a detailed one. Her control of language is clear.
Although most of the book is about her illness and operations, she insisted that aspect of her life was not what the book was really about. Grealy tells us the book was actually about her talent as a writer and her use of language.
The book is as much about everything else as it could be: family, fear, community, bullying, ignorance, hatred, disgust, confusion, arrogance, coming of age, desire, poetry, learning, reading, and writing.
Read the book and see these and related themes. Ask yourself, “Which character in the story am I?”
BTW – it is exciting to report that the legacy of this book goes on… Alice Robb, writing for the New Republic retells the story, talks about this title, reports again on Grealy’s life, and reminds us of the importance of this book (“The Unexpected Afterlife of Autobiography of a Face, in “The New Republic,” June 19, 2024. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/unexpected-afterlife-autobiography-face-100000640.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall). Following up on the story is important, and the writing caliber is incredible for college departments of English and for neighborhood book clubs alike.
This is a brand-new commentary about an old book. That should tell you something.
Clarity and incredible command of language. Despite her huge challenge of the cancer and the appearance of her face, Grealy has left a great legacy. Reporting on this legacy is a humbling experience for all writers indeed.
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For more about Lucy Grealy and the book, please see these links:
https://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Face-Lucy-Grealy-ebook/dp/B004H1UEO0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobiography_of_a_Face
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Grealy
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/autobiography-of-a-face-lucy-grealy?variant=40828450897954