Details:
- author: Ariel Henley
- full title: A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome
- narrator: Ariel Henley
- genre: nonfiction, memoir
- topics: #comingofage #crouzonsyndrome #beauty #art #picasso
- publisher: Recorded Books
- publish date: 04.11.2021
- timing: 8:08:00
My Rating of the Audiobook:
- content: 💙💙💙💙💙
- narration: 💙💙💙💙💙
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| Goodreads |
I am ugly. There's a mathematical equation to prove it.
Excerpt from the Book:
During the Renaissance period, artist would use an equation to create balance, symmetry, and ultimately beauty in their work. It was first explained over two thousand years ago in Euclid’s Elements, which describes a sequence frequently found in nature. The ratio was later supported by the Fibonacci sequence, the golden ratio combines symmetry in a way that is alluring and attractive to the eye.The closer an object’s measurements were to that ratio, the most beautiful it was considered to be.
My Thoughts:
I don’t read a lot of memoirs. But when I saw this, I knew I had to read it. I listened to the audiobook version. Here the author, Ariel Henley, is also the narrator.
A Face for Picasso is a coming-of-age story of twins: Ariel and Zan, two girls born with Crouzon syndrome. This is a rare condition where a person needs multiple face surgeries at different stages of childhood. Most of us can’t imagine what they went through. Especially in today’s world, so obsessed with beauty. And what is today’s perception of beauty? Who is beautiful? For most, this is a person with a symmetrical face and some standard body features.
Throughout this memoir, we read about their life, operations, and school years. In addition, we learn about the psychological burden of being different, especially in their teen years. Ariel is very open about her childhood memories. She speaks honestly about the negative side, too. The author also explores beauty standards. Her reflections on art and Picasso contribute a lot to the story.
The narration speed was faster than usual, but for me, it was perfect. I also like the fact that Ariel narrates her own memoir.
About the Author:
Ariel Henley is a writer from Northern California with a B.A. in English and Political Science from the University of Vermont. She is passionate about writing as a form of activism, and hopes to use her story to promote mainstream inclusion for individuals with physical differences. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Narratively. A Face for Picasso is her debut novel.
