The History of My Shoes and the Evolution of Darwin’s Theory
by Kenny Fries
Carroll & Graf. 206 pages, $14.95
IT’S TOO BAD that Kenny Fries new book isn’t longer. The History of My Shoes and the Evolution of Darwin’s Theory is so lyrical, economically crafted, and engagingly peripatetic that one wants to keep traveling with its author even after he ends his meditation. Part memoir, part history, part travel narrative, Fries’ book is an extended examination of his unique experience of disability, and it’s presented within the context of broader ideas about humanity’s place within the natural order. Fries has written two well-received books of poetry and an earlier memoir about his disability, but his latest work approaches the subject with a fresh, metaphorically rich perspective.
