How Y’all Doing?
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| How Y'all Doing? Leslie Jordan |
After reading the article, I
decided I had to write about this book from Leslie Jordan. Some would believe How
Y’all Doing? should not be read simply because Mr. Jordan is gay. That his
story should be silenced. Neither Mr. Jordan’s nor anyone else’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or
race should determine whether or not their story is told. They all have a right to be
heard.
On that exact same day, I started
reading the Harvey Fierstein autobiography.
Leslie Jordan is one of those
actors you just know. You may not know his name, as I didn’t, but probably
recognize him when you see him. How Y’all Doing is a collection of
essays by Mr. Jordan. Essays about his life.
Each essay is short and humorous.
Mr. Jordan covers topics ranging from his love of horses and dolls to standing
up to people trying to create trouble for his gay community.
The last topic I mentioned sounds
awfully serious for a humorous book. And it is serious. But mixed in among the
serious is humor, as is the case with every essay.
There were serious topics
throughout the book, in fact. From Mr. Jordan’s wondering if his father was
ashamed of him, to a shooting at a gay nightclub, to how his fears have held
him back in life, most of the essays have a serious element to them.
From these essays, there are also
lessons to be learned. The one that stuck with me most was about how we always
remember the bad parts of the past better than the good. This is very true.
Even when the past was five minutes ago, we remember the one bad interaction in
the situation over all the good. It is a tendency we all have, even if some may
have it only occasionally, and it is a habit we all need to break.
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| Film Reel Kate Dorsey |
As Mr. Jordan is in the
entertainment industry, it is expected there would be some celebrity moments
mentioned. There certainly were.
Early on in the book, Mr. Jordan
talks about his relationship with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. After an
incident when Mr. Jordan’s mother read something about him she did not like,
Debbie Reynolds called her to talk about the situation. Out of the blue, Mrs.
Jordan received a call from Debbie Reynolds about her son. That must have been
shocking.
Mr. Jordan also talked about his
experience filming The Help. He explained that people on film sets
become close and promise to keep in touch but don’t. Life simply just works out
that way. This reality did not, however, prevent Mr. Jordan from calling
Octavia Spencer moments after she won her Academy Award, and she answered!
No matter what the essay was
about, I always felt a sense of excitement in Mr. Jordan’s writing. He seemed
absolutely thrilled to be sharing his stories with the world. Again.
I say “again” because when I got How Y’all Doing? from the library, I did not know this was actually Mr. Jordan’s second book. Now that I know, I am eager to see what tales he told before, and I want to know what stories may come out in the future. Because I highly suspect, with the life he has lived, there is far more Mr. Jordan has to say.
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