Workshop Response- "Fistful of Jacket"

Workshop Response for Daniel Yurcaba’s “Fistful of Jacket”

This memoir takes place when Dan is a young boy learning how to ride a bike. The personal significance for him was the fact that his mother let go of him on the bike, and that she let him down then but has been a great mother throughout his life. 

I really liked the way you described your neighborhood and the whole process of learning how to ride a bike. I could really see everything very clearly, like on page 2 when you describe your two neighbors and your own section of the street. I really liked how you described having dinner with the Owens. I thought that you did a really nice job of saying why you had to go over there, but then describing why it was so awful- like saying grace at dinner.

I also really loved the descriptions of your accident on page four. They were from your childhood perspective, and it was a nice balance of the drama of getting a cut when you’re a kid, and the sarcasm of how you thought it was such a big deal from your perspective now.

I think you could go into more detail about the aftermath of the crash. You mention that you were angry with your mother for letting go, and forgive her on page four, but I would like to see more of that. I think that can be developed further and help strengthen your personal significance. I had a hard time putting into words exactly what it was. I also expected some more interaction with the two families you describe, the Owens and the Talleys. You put a lot of description into them, but we didn’t get to hear from them again. Overall, really good!