Her stories are personal but unfortunately not unique. She explains her struggles with poverty, race, and sexual trauma. Coleman talks about growing up poor, her relationship with a careless mother and a judgmental grandmother. Reading through the collection, I found myself wondering how I can relate to the text and what Coleman describes she went through. Coleman writes in an author’s note that “this collection of nonfiction and not-quite-nonfiction is intended to make you wonder what is and what isn’t true, and whether or not that matters.” There are always multiple sides to a story. They are based largely on emotion and how past events affected us. How much of our memories are actually accurate? And why does some of the trauma that we remember feel like a story rather than an event that actually happened? Coleman explores the idea that our memories are not factual. A common idea throughout the collection is this line between fiction and reality. Coleman’s writing is an exploration of self and an expression of trauma healing. Coleman shares her experiences of sexual abuse and familial discourse, growing up poor, and sacrificing her own happiness for the sake of her mother and grandmother. Tyrese Coleman’s How to Sit is a collection of essays and stories that make up the memoir of a young black woman who aims to share her trauma.
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