Double Take: A Memoir - Softcover

Connolly, Kevin Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061791520 ISBN 13: 9780061791529

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2010

Synopsis

Kevin Michael Connolly is a twenty-four-year-old man who has seen the world in a way most of us never will. Whether swarmed by Japanese tourists at Epcot Center as a child or holding court at the X Games on his mono-ski, Kevin Connolly has been an object of curiosity since the day he was born without legs. Growing up in rural Montana, he was raised like any other kid (except, that is, for his father's MacGyver-like contraptions such as the "butt boot"). As a college student, Kevin traveled to seventeen countries on his skateboard, including Bosnia, China, Ukraine, and Japan. In an attempt to capture the stares of others, he took more than 30,000 photographs of people staring at him. In this dazzling memoir, Kevin Connolly casts the lens inward to explore how we view ourselves and what it is to truly see another person. From the home of his family in Helena, Montana, to the streets of Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur, Kevin's remarkable journey will change the way you look at others, and the way you see yourself.

About this title

About the Author:

Born without legs, raised in Montana, and now a skateboarding world traveler, Kevin Michael Connolly has seen the world in a way most people never will. His internationally acclaimed photo series, The Rolling Exhibition, which encompasses seventeen countries and more than 30,000 photographs of people staring at him, has been featured in museums and galleries around the world.

From Publishers Weekly:

Starred Review. Photographer, champion skier and skateboarder Connolly has been stared at his entire 23-year life. Not because he's handsome, talented and athletic (all true), but because he has no legs. He was born without them, but born into a family that he describes as loving, loyal and matter-of-fact. Connolly writes that his father and grandfather—inspired by several seasons of MacGyver—engineered numerous devices to help the growing boy manage everyday tasks, from using light switches to pitching in on chores, and he was well prepared for his first day of school because his mother led countless What would you do if...? conversations. Connolly appears to be an intelligent, fairly unflappable adult with a healthy sense of humility and humor. He's a good storyteller, too, whether describing his first high school wrestling match, the path from novice to champion skier or what it's like to travel around the world on a skateboard. Connolly also shares his memories of an important, defining moment: when he decided to use photography to gaze back at the people who stared at him. Each photo was a miniature catharsis, he writes, adding, Finally, I was able to find my own use for that stare, and it felt good. His photos, 19 of which serve as chapter dividers, became part of The Rolling Exhibition, which was shown worldwide, including at the Smithsonian. The images are beautiful, revealing and stimulating—just like his narrative. (Nov.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0061791520
• ISBN 13: 9780061791529
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240