Overview

"Make Me, Lisa Stathoplos' searingly honest and dark humored memoir explores how one comes to be. Comes to live in their own skin; exist in their very bones. In 1958 Lisa landed on this earth with a whack and a wail and a highly uncomfortable feeling that she shouldn't be here. Regardless, here she is. Born into a fusion of the French and the Greeks, Lisa's wickedly smart and loving family nurtures her from fussy baby, ""moody"" child, into a passionate, rebellious young woman. Set in the beauty of Southern Maine, with a few forays to the Caribbean, the Atlantic shipping lanes and Greece, Make Me is both as tempestuous and tranquil as the sea when Lisa takes us on her voyage toward acceptance and authenticity. Her stories of growing up Catholic, coming of age beside the turbulent Atlantic Ocean, discovering dance, her activism and becoming a successful professional actor as well as a fishwife, are fraught, rewarding and often hysterically funny. Make Me follows Lisa's memories in and out of chronological time, landing on the significant ones that shaped her most of all. The language is crisply straightforward, hauntingly witty, and emotionally fathomless. Make Me is an oceanic ride into Lisa's very soul and should be read by anyone who is becoming who they truly are or has already arrived."

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9781647194215

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Reviews

Lisa Stathoplos is as mesmerizing on the page as she is on the stage. She has given us a memoir that is witty, warm, wise and above all searingly honest. We would expect no less from an artist whose career is inseparable from the history of theatre in Maine. - Michael Rafkin, founding Artistic Director, Mad Horse Theatre So much is revealed on the slant, and her use of lyrics throughout creates a soundtrack of the times.... At last, her stunning honesty on stage is matched - in her telling of her own story. - Mary Snell, MFA -- writer and poet; former staff writer and theater critic, Maine Sunday Telegram Throughout this memoir, Stathoplos's candor and passion are scintillating and her scenes delicious in details....she shares with us the power of a life driven not just by talent and ambition, but by a ferociously abiding love. - Megan Grumbling, Megan writes poetry, criticism and essays, and dramatic works, and serves as an editor, teacher, and writing mentor.

Debut author and professional actor and teacher Stathoplos's boisterous, energetic memoir offers revealing snapshots of her journey towards self-realization. Covering her early days as an awkward child with scoliosis and a penchant for activism to her career on the stage, Stathoplos combines humor and heartache as she bounds frankly through topics such as her family, religion, sexual assault, shelter pets, sailing, eating disorders, and the courage and perseverance it took to get through a nightmare of a dancing class. Along with the backdrop of major events like the Vietnam War, era-specific music adds color and texture to her story, along with rich details of growing up along Maine's coast in the 1970s. Stathoplos's brash style brims with all-caps phrases and exclamation points. Her sarcastic sense of humor is a constant in a book that shifts rapidly from topic to topic and experience to experience. She marshals her considerable life experience into a confetti of short, readable vignettes, each preceded by a number of related photographs. These vignettes offer flashes of insight into both single moments and extended eras of Stathoplos's life, blending her exuberant commentary with finely etched detail. Though fragmented, the casual, rollicking cascade of stories has the feel of a chatty friend telling stories over drinks. Stathoplos's memoir doubles as a love letter to theater. True to her contrarian nature, she challenges the assumption that an artist must leave home to seek fame and fortune in the big city. Instead, she forges her own path, without apology. While her performances and colleagues in Maine's regional theater scene aren't household names, her sharply told accounts and anecdotes resonate, and her passionate support for local theater is invigorating. Similarly inspiring is Stathoplos's dogged journey towards self-acceptance, both physical and mental, the book's true heart. Readers will find the perspective Stathoplos offers on her life both on and off the stage honest, refreshing and often endearing. Takeaway: This frank and spirited reflection on self-love and self-determination will especially appeal to lovers of the arts Great for fans of: Jenny Slate's Little Weirds, Chelsea Handler's Life Will Be the Death of Me. Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: B Illustrations: A Editing: B Marketing copy: A- - BookLife Reviews Lisa Stathoplos is as mesmerizing on the page as she is on the stage. She has given us a memoir that is witty, warm, wise and above all searingly honest. We would expect no less from an artist whose career is inseparable from the history of theatre in Maine. - Michael Rafkin, founding Artistic Director, Mad Horse Theatre So much is revealed on the slant, and her use of lyrics throughout creates a soundtrack of the times.... At last, her stunning honesty on stage is matched - in her telling of her own story. - Mary Snell, MFA -- writer and poet; former staff writer and theater critic, Maine Sunday Telegram Throughout this memoir, Stathoplos's candor and passion are scintillating and her scenes delicious in details....she shares with us the power of a life driven not just by talent and ambition, but by a ferociously abiding love. - Megan Grumbling, Megan writes poetry, criticism and essays, and dramatic works, and serves as an editor, teacher, and writing mentor.

Author Information

Lisa Stathoplos is an actor, voice artist and special education teacher/behavior specialist. She's been acting on stage, film and video for forty years; teaching for twenty. Moving north from her beloved theatrical home, Portland, Maine, Lisa lives in Searsport with Michael and a motley collection of adopted furry creatures.

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