Shirt-Worthy: David Giffels

When I read this memoir, it was really easy to summarize what the story was about. “Shirt-Worthy” from my understanding is a personal essay that shows how the author went from once having a great passion for owning a particular t-shirt (a Ramones band tee-shirt), to not having that desire for it as he got older and wiser. I feel like the author sort of takes his reader on a journey of how this particular t-shirt, or the idea of having the t-shirt, has reappeared in his life on more than one instance.
In my opinion, it wasn’t particularly clear what the main tension or conflict of the story was until I read it over a second time. In his story, the author explains how important it was to “earn” the right to buy the Ramones t-shirt, which essentially meant going to one of the band’s concerts and then buying one… and although he attended a couple shows, he still never felt he earned the right to wear one. This leads me to believe that the main conflict of the story was whether or not he should’ve bought a Ramones t-shirt.
After a while, the author says he simply began to accept the fact that he didn’t own a Ramones tee. He was actually comfortable with it, and he figured no one would even notice he didn’t have one since…he didn’t have one. Eventually, he explains how his son wanted one for his tenth birthday. Although it seems he was momentarily skeptical about it, he bought one anyway. His son ends up ripping it playing near the fence and he was really sad about that. He bought him a new Ramones tee, and at the very last sentence of the story the author says how he never threw the old tee away but instead wore it himself (it being an Adult Small and all). To me, this moment seems like the resolution of the story because in the end he actually ends up owning a Ramones t-shirt by a means he didn’t expect.
I think the author’s audience would generally be adults, ages 18 and up. I say this because most teenagers could relate to the Great significance of owning a rock band t-shirt. Also, parents could probably relate to this story because he makes a couple references to his children…and baby vomit. Switching gears, I really loved how the author jumped from one moment in time to another, and yet it all being so smooth. I thought that was a strong narrative technique he used. In addition to great transition and movement, I thought the author did a good job at “showing not telling”. The fact that he didn’t come right out and say the point/ purpose of the story, and I could still fully understand what it was, is pretty impressive. One aspect of the authors writing that I plan to use in my own memoir would be the almost comical undertone he has in “Shirt-Worthy”; having this made reading his work a lot easier and more enjoyable.