A self-defined misfit makes a powerful case for not fitting in—for recognizing the beauty, and difficulty, in forging an original path.
A misfit is a person who missed fitting in, a person who fits in badly, or this: a person who is poorly adapted to new situations and environments. It’s a shameful word, a word no one typically tries to own. Until now.
Lidia Yuknavitch is a proud misfit. That wasn’t always the case. It took Lidia a long time to not simply accept, but appreciate, her misfit status. Having flunked out of college twice (and maybe even a third time that she’s not going to tell you about), with two epic divorces under her belt, an episode of rehab for drug use, and two stints in jail, she felt like she would never fit in. She was a hopeless misfit. She’d failed as daughter, wife, mother, scholar—and yet the dream of being a writer was stuck like “a small sad stone” in her throat.
The feeling of not fitting in is universal. The Misfit’s Manifesto is for misfits around the world—the rebels, the eccentrics, the oddballs, and anyone who has ever felt like she was messing up. It’s Lidia’s love letter to all those who can’t ever seem to find the “right” path. She won’t tell you how to stop being a misfit—quite the opposite. In her charming, poetic, funny, and frank style, Lidia will reveal why being a misfit is not something to overcome, but something to embrace. Lidia also encourages her fellow misfits not to be afraid of pursuing goals, how to stand up, how to ask for the things they want most. Misfits belong in the room, too, she reminds us, even if their path to that room is bumpy and winding. An important idea that transcends all cultures and countries, this book has created a brave and compassionate community for misfits, a place where everyone can belong.
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Lidia Yuknavitch is the author of the debut novel Dora: A Headcase, and the memoir The Chronology of Water, as well as three books of short fiction and a critical book on war and narrative, Allegories of Violence. Her writing has appeared in many publications including Ms., The Iowa Review, The Sun, and in numerous anthologies. She writes, teaches, and lives in Portland, Oregon with the filmmaker Andy Mingo and their son Miles.
Melissa Febos is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Whip Smart. She has been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross and on the cover of the New York Post, and her writing has been published in numerous major venues. She holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Recently named one of “Five New Queer Voices to Watch Out For” by Lambda Literary, Febos is the winner of the Memoirs, Ink half-yearly contest and is a 2010 and 2011 MacDowell Colony fellow.