My Body Is Distant
A Memoir
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An electrifying and vulnerable memoir that invites readers into an intimate conversation about our digital and physical selves, gender, and belonging.
In My Body Is Distant, Paige Maylott writes about her life — both virtual and IRL — as she explores her authentic self and sexuality through dream-like virtual worlds. While Paige dances in online BDSM clubs and hurls spells on virtual battlefields, she is swept into a fairy tale romance that pushes her into discovery mode: How can she transcend her carefully curated computer universe and manifest that happiness in the real world?
As she discovers the person she is meant to be, Paige contends with a cancer diagnosis and an imploding marriage while struggling to convert an online love story into reality. When a humiliation at work provides the necessary push to transition, Paige finds the freedom to explore her new self.
Part trans woman’s coming-out story and part heartfelt romance, My Body Is Distant follows Paige from a childhood obsession with the 1980s game Zork, through a health crisis and divorce, to, ultimately, an affirmation of authenticity and self-love.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Maylott's gripping debut memoir covers her gender transition, divorce, and experiments with online relationships in thrillingly nonlinear fashion. Shortly after marrying her now ex-wife Karen in the aughts, Maylott began to understand she was a woman. Coming to that conclusion meant a somewhat contentious divorce and a bumpy road toward transition, which she recounts here with bracing honesty. In the midst of her divorce and her coming-out, Maylott was diagnosed with colon cancer, and—following a permanent colostomy—dipped her toes into online BDSM clubs, striking up a flirtation and eventual relationship with a man in Texas who called himself Kali. When their connection fizzled, Maylott worried she may never find love again before meeting her current partner, Sarah, whose steadfast support lends the memoir its beating heart. It's near impossible not to cheer Maylott on as she navigates hurdles and judgments on her way to self-actualization. Along the way, she forges some fascinating links between gender identity and the construction of a digital persona. This will buoy readers facing similar challenges and offer invaluable guidance to their allies.
