Leg

The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It

By: Greg Marshall

Narrated by: Greg Marshall

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 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. 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.

©2023 Greg Marshall (P)2023 Tantor

Funny and sweet

Greg does a great job of representing people in his life as complex characters, not all good or all bad, but real. The stories are interesting and there are some juicy details. The stories are highlighted with several laugh out loud lines.

Great Book, Fascinating Read

I enjoyed this book. The premise of a gay man who did not know he had cerebral palsy until he was thirty hooked. Greg Marshall describes the messiness and redemption of coming to terms with both his queerness and his disability. He had to come out twice, and he had a father who became disabled due to illness. Marshall’s account of him serving as a caregiver for his dying father is the heart of the book, which ends with a thank you to him. I highly recommend this book.

Extraordinary

An amazing story of an extraordinary family, son and early life journey that will make you laugh, cry and wish you could be a part of this honest to a fault, unconditionally loving, slightly crazy family.

Needed a good editor

This is an exhaustive/exhausting account of being disabled and gay. It would have benefited from tightening the story.

Wonderful Memoir!

I found this story candid, refreshing and entertaining. Greg Marshall tells his story beautifully. I hope he will write more of his story and that I am around long enough to read it!