The History of My Shoes and the Evolution of Darwin's Theory

Synopsis

In The History of My Shoes, Kenny Fries narrates two stories: the development of the theory of "survival of the fittest," as articulated by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace; and the history of his ever-changing, made-to-order, orthopedic shoes.

The famously important first story, as told by Kenny Fries, is a condensed and colorful account of the race between Darwin and Wallace to formulate their groundbreaking theories.

At the same time, Fries, a gay and disabled man, tells a deeply personal story of the evolving consciousness of his own "adaptations," represented by his shoes. As a child, Fries was abused by both his father and brother, and emerged into adulthood swaddled in ambiguities of self and memory.

These he has explored in his brutally frank memoir, Body, Remember. In this poetic, introspective book, Kenny Fries imaginatively illustrates how his identities intersect. He writes, "Much of my own work the past fifteen years has been concerned with the body, as both subject and metaphor; as the place where the personal becomes the universal; as the site of memory, language, and desire."

Although only the "fittest" may survive, Fries learns that adaptation and variation are critical to survival. What is deemed normal, or even perfect, are passing phases of the ever-changing embodiment of nature in our world. In the end, Darwin and Wallace's discoveries resonate with Fries's own story in The History of My Shoes.

Copyright:

2007

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

209 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780786720071

Publisher:

Da Capo Press, Incorporated

Date of Addition:

06/16/09

Copyrighted By:

Kenny Fries

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Science, Biographies and Memoirs, Literature and Fiction, Technology, Language Arts, Medicine

Submitted By:

Kari G

Proofread By:

mary stephens

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.