* A MOST-ANTICIPATED SUMMER READ SELECTED BY * Washington Post *Buzzfeed * Bustle * The Advocate * LitHub * Bookriot * Electric Literature * and more!*
A hilarious and poignant memoir grappling with family, disability, and coming of age in two closets-as a gay man and as a man living with cerebral palsy
‘Leg is intimate (and I mean that in all ways), insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny.’ – SCOTT SIMON, NPR
‘One hell of an entertaining book.’ – BUZZFEED, Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of 2023
‘Greg Marshall is one helluva storyteller . . . bright, bold, and beauitful.’ -ISAAC FITZGERALD
‘A strange, smutty, hilarious, beautiful, compassionate, provoking, big-hearted, sharp-tongued, original, brilliant memoir. I hated to see it end.’ – ELIZABETH McCRACKEN
Greg Marshall’s early years were pretty bizarre. Rewind the VHS tapes (this is the nineties) and you’ll see a lopsided teenager limping across a high school stage, or in a wheelchair after leg surgeries, pondering why he’s crushing on half of the Utah Jazz. Add to this home video footage a mom clacking away at her newspaper column between chemos, a dad with ALS, and a cast of foulmouthed siblings. Fast forward the tape and you’ll find Marshall happily settled into his life as a gay man only to discover he’s been living in another closet his whole life: he has cerebral palsy. Here, in the hot mess of it all, lies Greg Marshall’s wellspring of wit and wisdom.
Leg is an extraordinarily funny and insightful memoir from a daring new voice. Packed with outrageous stories of a singular childhood, it is also a unique examination of what it means to transform when there are parts of yourself you can’t change, a moving portrait of a family in crisis, and a tale of resilience of spirit. In Marshall’s deft hands, we see a story both personal and universal-of being young and wanting the world, even when the world doesn’t feel like yours to want.
A hilarious and poignant memoir grappling with family, disability, and coming of age in two closets-as a gay man and as a man living with cerebral palsy
‘Leg is intimate (and I mean that in all ways), insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny.’ – SCOTT SIMON, NPR
‘One hell of an entertaining book.’ – BUZZFEED, Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of 2023
‘Greg Marshall is one helluva storyteller . . . bright, bold, and beauitful.’ -ISAAC FITZGERALD
‘A strange, smutty, hilarious, beautiful, compassionate, provoking, big-hearted, sharp-tongued, original, brilliant memoir. I hated to see it end.’ – ELIZABETH McCRACKEN
Greg Marshall’s early years were pretty bizarre. Rewind the VHS tapes (this is the nineties) and you’ll see a lopsided teenager limping across a high school stage, or in a wheelchair after leg surgeries, pondering why he’s crushing on half of the Utah Jazz. Add to this home video footage a mom clacking away at her newspaper column between chemos, a dad with ALS, and a cast of foulmouthed siblings. Fast forward the tape and you’ll find Marshall happily settled into his life as a gay man only to discover he’s been living in another closet his whole life: he has cerebral palsy. Here, in the hot mess of it all, lies Greg Marshall’s wellspring of wit and wisdom.
Leg is an extraordinarily funny and insightful memoir from a daring new voice. Packed with outrageous stories of a singular childhood, it is also a unique examination of what it means to transform when there are parts of yourself you can’t change, a moving portrait of a family in crisis, and a tale of resilience of spirit. In Marshall’s deft hands, we see a story both personal and universal-of being young and wanting the world, even when the world doesn’t feel like yours to want.
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Reviews
Greg Marshall's Leg has all the ingredients of an addictive memoir. But what separates this book from the pack is Marshall's rich and rare perspective navigating the world as a queer disabled person. Marshall delves into his unique life experiences to illustrate the all-too-relatable struggle to be your authentic self and he does it with unflinching honesty. He's one of the most exciting new voices in non-fiction. I could get lost in his brilliant brain forever.
This hilarious and wholly unique memoir by Greg Marshall tackles many subjects: disability, family relationships, and coming out (twice). With signature wit and humor, Marshall takes material that could be morbid in the hands of a lesser writer, and dares his readers not to laugh. He knows he's had an unconventional life, but there's no self-pity here. Instead, he embraces the absurdity of it all and leans into it, making one hell of an entertaining book.
Smart and heartfelt ... His honesty and clarity in writing about disability makes this debut one to watch.