|
|
Restoring the Color of Roses Since the purpose of this assignment is to provide me with an opportunity to broaden my understanding of human development, I decided to choose the book, Restoring the Color of Roses. Lesbian, non-fiction is a genre that I have never read before, so I thought this paper presented me with a significant opportunity to examine something that was new to me. I am glad I chose this book. It is a clear expression of development as Barrie explains her long journey through lovers, flings, straightness and queerness, and through alcoholism and recovery. Illness and recovery, dysfunctional family follies, addictions to alcohol and sex, and the uncertain meshing of past and present all combine as Barrie’s describes her search for identity. Restoring the Color of Roses, by Barrie Jean Borich, is part storytelling, part dream collecting, and part memory. It seems like Barrie’s search for identity, made along the road of family history, is counterpoint to her own personal recollection of memories. There is not really a sequential order to this novel, since it jumps around from different times in her life. But it gives you an overall understanding of Barrie’s life and how she changed over time through a combination of her past experiences. Her whole life, she felt like she never belonged, that she was an outsider. And now, living in Minnesota, she surrounds herself with a new family, “the ones who are like me, outsiders, exiles from other places, other families.” It was not accepted by her family that she was “different“ and not what they wanted her to be, so she never felt a sense of belonging. And he even often wondered, “Am I really a girl?” When it occurs to her that she might be a lesbian she realizes that this is a reason she always felt so outside everything, and realized, “There could be a place for me, something to belong to.” But all she wanted to do was feel beautiful and feel accepted. It was hard for her to accept who she was, so she went to parties, let men take advantage of her and got wasted.
|
