The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 27 May 2020
by Eddie Izzard
At every high school and college graduation, the speakers urge the graduates to believe in themselves, to go out and change the world (presumably for the better). Inspiration of that sort is in relatively short supply in the current climate of authoritarian politics and deadly pandemics, plagues of locusts and climate disaster. British comedian and actor, activist and executive transvestite, Eddie Izzard has put forth a very human-positive view of the world, in his shows and in his charitable and political actions. He reminds us he is an atheist, but he is nevertheless a believer, a believer in humanity. We can all do more than we think we can. He doesn't just say it, though, he demonstrates the truth of this belief, not least in his epic string of 42 marathons across the UK. As an untrained runner, that is. It helps that he does all of this with humor and compassion. His stage and TV shows are rambling and surreal, often very funny and occasionally quizzical.
Izzard is in a unique position, given everthing he has set out to achieve and how much of that he has accomplished. If there is any ongoing theme in his life, it is the parallel stories of the loss of his mother when he was just six, his transgender identity, and his dogged persistence. It is not an epic journey like those we so often look for in the memoirs we choose to read. But it is relentless, colored by real loss and real hope. His intention in writing his life story is clearly another medium in which to convey his essential message that we are to believe in ourselves. Izzard persists in the notion that humans have arrived here through their own actions, and humans are very much capable of fixing what is wrong in the world. Nothing is given or ordained by our non-existent gods. We choose the world in which we live (a fairly horrifying fact on the face of it). Eddie is conversational, telling us the tales of his childhood, growing up in various towns in the UK. He tells us of his dawning sexuality, the freedom and responsibility is has meant for him. His mother's death and what it meant to two brothers sent off to boarding school. His comedic career and the determined individual path he laid out for himself. The marathons. His family, his hopes and his aspirations. And, of course, his belief in his fellow humans (whether or not you find that belief misplaced). It is an engaging read, light and fast moving, full of Izzard's particular voice. It isn't the same as the seemingly random wanderings of his performance. He is not putting on a show as much as explaining why his shows are the way they are. There is more to come from this one man who has taken a long time to get where he is, but who shows by the way he lives that we should never give up on our own dreams. Believe me.