City Libraries, City of Gold Coast

Fairest, a memoir, Meredith Talusan

eng

autobiography

no index present

non fiction

Fairest

Meredith Talusan

a memoir

Fairest is a memoir about a precocious boy with albinism from a rural Philippine village who would grow up to become a woman in America. Coping with the strain of parental neglect and the elusive promise of U.S. citizenship, Talusan found comfort from her grandmother, a grounding force as she was treated by others with special preference or public curiosity. As an immigrant to the U.S., Talusan was perceived as white. An academic scholarship to Harvard provided access to elite circles of privilege but required Talusan to navigate through the complex spheres of race, class, sexuality, and her place within the gay community. She emerged as an artist and activist questioning the boundaries of gender. Talusan realized she did not want to be confined to a prescribed role as a man, and transitioned to become a woman, despite the risk of losing the man she deeply loved. Episodes of desirability and love that will remind readers of Call Me By Your Name and Giovanni's Room. Talusan's reflections will shift our own perceptions of love, identity, gender, and the fairness of life

adult