Greg Marshall's early years were pretty bizarre. Rewind the VHS tapes (this is the nineties) and you'll see a lopsided teenager limping across a high school stage, or in a wheelchair after leg surgeries, pondering why he's crushing on half of the Utah Jazz. Add to this home video footage a mom clacking away at her newspaper column between chemos, a dad with ALS, and a cast of foulmouthed siblings. Fast forward the tape and you'll find Marshall happily settled into his life as a gay man only to discover he's been living in another closet his whole life: he has cerebral palsy. Here, in the hot mess of it all, lies Greg Marshall's wellspring of wit and wisdom.
Leg is an extraordinarily funny and insightful memoir from a daring new voice. Packed with outrageous stories of a singular childhood, it is also a unique examination of what it means to transform when there are parts of yourself you can't change, a moving portrait of a family in crisis, and a tale of resilience of spirit. In Marshall's deft hands, we see a story both personal and universal-of being young and wanting the world, even when the world doesn't feel like yours to want.
“Leg is intimate (and I mean that in all ways), insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny.”―SCOTT SIMON, NPR's "Weekend Edition"
“It feels weird to say that Leg is hilarious, but it’s true. The exploits of the Marshalls are those of a family that refuses to be buried by hardship and instead develops a great sense of humor . . . Leg never slows in its energy, hope and warmth.”―WASHINGTON POST
“A riotous new memoir . . . A hilarious yet loving account, this book has charm for days.”―PEOPLE MAGAZINE
“Leg is probably the most profound and funniest memoir you'll ever read . . . The book is an entertaining and enlightening chronicle of Marshall’s life so far, including his discovery when he was almost 30 that he had cerebral palsy since birth, not ‘tight tendons’ like his parents told him . . . Marshall has pulled off the seemingly impossible. He’s written a memoir that is poignant and hilarious.”―WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO
"[A] witty memoir . . . Marshall presents readers with an insightful story of identity and complex family dynamics.”―USA TODAY, 10 Best Memoirs of 2023
“In this heartfelt debut memoir, Greg Marshall tells his story of coming out twice: first, as a gay man; second, as a man with cerebral palsy—a diagnosis that his family kept from him since birth. Throughout the book, Marshall unflinchingly looks at queerness, disability, illness, and family through the lens of his own queer, disabled, ill family with great aplomb. This marvelous book will stick with me for a very long time.”―ESQUIRE
“This highly awaited memoir isn’t your typical coming-of-age story. Instead, it’s a compassionate and humanizing gaze at what it’s like to be a queer and disabled person, told in Marshall’s original, addictive and acerbically witty voice. This story promises to be as funny as it is touching and insightful.”
―HUFFINGTON POST BOOKS