Very lucky to have received this as an ARC. Beautiful, heartwarming, and funny. For me, this served as a reminder that life is ever changing; for me it’s a reminder that you don’t have to all have it figured out by a certain age. Sometimes finding confidence and self-assurance doesn’t happen until later in life. The kind of book you need when you’re feeling lost.

I wanted to like this as a disabled lesbian but there was so much unnecessary sex that it was hard to get through the book otherwise. It also felt like there were some ableist themes in there which is odd coming from a disabled author.

The subject matter in this book was really dark and Greg overcame a lot. It felt like it was longer than it needed to be and more detailed.

It’d an interesting coming out tale-especially in the AIDs epidemic era.

I had a difficult time getting into this book. The book just went on and on in some portions, and it felt like the story was dragging on. In other parts however, the story rolled along and the chapters didn't feel so impassable. Overall, the story was pretty interesting to read from the perspective of a gay man living through the time period the author came out in.
The book follows the author's life from their childhood through their 30's. The author's childhood involved some of the "normal things" that kids go through, except for his "extremely tight tendons" which is really the parent's attempt at hiding CP. Greg, for the majority of his life up until adulthood, didn't fully realize they had a diagnosis other than tight tendons.
Greg's family, not just his parents, were extremely unique in many aspects. There were multiple siblings who were all a bit different but between Greg and his sister Moe, it was a big difference in comparison to their siblings. They were both extremely smart, but they both struggled in different ways physically and cognitively. Greg had the spastic leg, while Moe was just a spase in general.
Their parents dealt with them, as well as their other siblings, as best as they could all while dealing with their own health issues. His mom fought cancer multiple times, and unfortunately his dad passed away after a very short and aggressive bought of ALS. His dad was an amazing father to him right to the end. It was hard to think about what this had done to the whole family, but through it all they remain close.
Throughout the whole story Greg is struggling to be gay at a time when it is terrifying. AIDS was a huge deal, as it should be, but it was also a time when all gay men were treated like "carriers." It's terrifying to me, a heterosexual woman, to think about AIDS and how it was when they first started talking about it. I thought sex was terrifying, so I give him a lot of credit for being able to get out there and live his life. Overall, Greg has had an amazing life, and I hope it continues.

𝗟𝗲𝗴 by Greg Marshall
Published: June 13, 2023
Reviewed by: Mel
Format: Audiobook via @netgalley

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂…
✽ Enjoy dark humor
✽ Enjoy coming-out narratives (not just LGBTQ!)
✽ Don’t mind medical jargon and discussions

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
✽ Cancer, ALS and HIV/AIDS
✽ Cerebral Palsy
✽ Sexually explicit conversations

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
Greg, my goodness! You have lived through so many traumatic experiences and yet you have this lighthearted, witty, self-awareness to you that makes you so incredibly captivating. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to hug you - but overall, I ABSOLUTELY devoured this book.

I am so glad I listened to the audiobook, especially since I had an eBook ARC as well, because I truly enjoyed hearing your story come from YOU directly. Between the stories of your high school days, to the Parisian story about your Dad to your badass mom and little Mo, I just couldn’t get enough!

I can’t say enough wonderful things about this memoir - but most of all, RUN DON’T WALK and pick it up ASAP!!

The topics explored in this book are heavy…the author and his family have been dealt devastating blows….but Marshall’s candor and humor keep this book hopeful, not dark. This reads like having a fun “getting to know you” session with the coolest guy at the party.

A truly hilarious, heart wrenching, and heartwarming story about identity, disability, love, loneliness, and most importantly, family. I really did laugh while reading this book, and I knew that I would enjoy it. Im so glad that I was right. I think that this is perfect for fans of David Sedaris and the show Special. 4.5 stars

"Who would want to read a book called Leg?"' Greg Marshall's mother asks early on in his memoir in essays.
I would. You would, too, if like me, you've had the opportunity as a literary journal editor to read Marshall's essays over the past few years. The author comes of age in the pages of Leg, which tells his story as a queer disabled man who has always walked with a limp. It's about his family and his coming out and his discovery as an adult that he was born with cerebral palsy. It's about what makes Greg Marshall ... Greg Marshall.
"Anyone who has ever come out of any closet knows how twisty the path can be, and I suppose that's partly what this story is about: prickly questions about passing and privilege, obsession and denial, the parts of our identities we hide and those we claim and what it means to transform when there are things about ourselves we can't change."
Leg is funny and wondrous and makes the heart grow.
[Thanks to Abrams and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

Greg Marshall's early life was defined by secrets -- one he was keeping from his parents and another they were keeping from him. Growing up in Utah in the 1990s, he was in the closet and had mobility challenges, which his parents attributed to "tight tendons." When he was well into adulthood when he found out that he, in fact, had cerebral palsy -- a diagnosis his parents had never shared with him. This book explores Greg's life growing up in the wake of these two secrets in a family defined, in many ways, by his mother's ongoing battles with cancer, a doting father who comes to face his own health challenges, and a rambunctious group of siblings -- and how these experiences shape how he navigates the world.

This is a powerful and wholly original memoir about identity, family, and coming into your own from a terrific new voice.

Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed Leg, a memoir. It was so filled with interesting stories about the author's growth. I appreciated his consideration of having CP and what it meant to him later in life. I thought his relationship with his parents was the most interesting tale.

While traumatizing, I could not stop reading about Marshall's childhood and how it formed him into adulthood today. His childhood anecdotes are darkly funny and I found myself especially emotionally attached to his relationship with his father & his quick decline with ALS.

It's heartbreaking the fear he felt identifying as a gay man and unfortunately a fear I'm sure almost everyone in the LGBTQIA community can relate to.

I hate to give star ratings to people's life stories, but for the clever + meaningful writing and readability of this book I'd give it 4 stars. Also, the title Leg is just...awful.

Leg is a memoir by Greg Marshall about his relationship with his family, his coming to the realization that he is gay, and his... leg. Marshall has cerebral palsy, but what is surprising about his relationship with his condition is that he didn't KNOW he has CP until he was much older in life. His parents never said his diagnosis, so when people asked about his limp, he attributed it to other conditions (that are associated with CP). My favorite parts of this memoir were his relationships with his parents. They owned newspapers and his mother would often highlight Marshall's challenges and his poetry in her articles in these papers. His mother has cancer which is recurring and affects much of his relationship with her. His relationship with his father is very moving. My favorite chapter of the book is about the author's school trip to France where his father comes along as a chaperone. While illness is expected with his mother's condition, the family is thrown for a loop when his father is diagnosed with ALS and is dead within two years. Marshall's relationship with his four other siblings are not much of a focus of the book outside of his youngest sister Moe. Moe serves as another example of their parents not recognizing their disabilities. There is a LOT to mine in this book. I haven't even touched on his road to acceptance about his attraction to men and interesting romantic relationships he's had over his life. Because there is so much here, it can come across as a bit all over the place, and perhaps emphasis on one or two areas may have been more cohesive. Thank you to Abrams Press via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Greg Marshall was born with cerebral palsy, but in true 80s fashion, his parents decided that they don’t want him stuck with a label. He spends his life growing up thinking he has tight tendons decorated with a flair for the dramatic. Theatre, writing, cancer and ALS follow his cast of a family of five foul mouthed individuals. Greg’s narrative swings through absurd laugh out loud moments, to tender touching tear filled moments, often within the same page. Greg’s perspective and brilliant humor get him through the awkward teen discovery years, coming to terms with being gay, having a lifelong fear obsession with AIDS, getting through college and eventually finding the love of his life. This book will take you on a humor filled journey through life, loss, love, all while coming to terms with identity, ability, and quirky family.

From the publisher Abrams Press: 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.
          
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, a diagnosis that has been kept from him since birth. (His parents always told him he just had "tight tendons" and left it at that.) 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. 
*********************************************************************
My review:
Greg definitely lives an interesting life and has a humorous take on everything, including things that would smash many people. His family is full of characters and love. The love and support for each other is heart warming but there were plenty of times the quirkiness made me think, “Hmmmm. Probably embellished.” (Like your mother is septic and still shows up at a high school election? Probably embellished.)

I found myself skimming some parts of the book as the author took a lot of time to describe some scenarios that would have been fun if written more to the point. Overall, an interesting life and story but the whole package didn’t keep me pulled in completely.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ for humor and over the top situations.
Thank you to Abrams Press and NetGalley for and advance copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the realistic experiences spoken about in this book in a voice that is accessible and fireside.

The best memoir I have read in a long time! You will fall in love with Greg! Funny, heartbreaking, and beautiful.

This was an engaging memoir that took us through Marshall's early years of learning to understand himself and his body and fast-forward to adulthood where he is a happily gay man coming to full awareness of the disability he has had his whole life. There were some truly hilarious moments and some that were incredibly thought-provoking. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading memoirs.

Thank you, NetGalley and Abrams Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

(More of a 3.5, but I round up. :)

This was a sweet, funny memoir about a boy and his body, about a family and their bodies, about understanding one's body in relation to others, to understanding sickness and health and how we hold each other in pretty desperate times. I don't think I would recommend this book unless some kind of reading need aligned--it wasn't written astonishingly, but solidly.

This memoir and essay compilation is immensely poignant and engaging. Would definitely recommend everyone read this.

Really enjoyed this well written memoir a book about being gay and having a disability.Serious at times hilarious at time great read#netgalley#abramsbooks