Chaya Gritton

Of all the books out there, memoirs impress me most. They have the ability to grab you by the shirt and pull you into their world. Chloé Cooper Jones is a writer who does just that with her debut book Easy Beauty. The first line of her book captivates you instantly,: “I am in a bar in Brooklyn, listening to two men, my friends, discuss whether my life is worth living.” I was barely a sentence deep, but I was hooked. Easy Beauty explores growing up with a disability in a world with unrealistic beauty standards and one where things that she has experienced are taboo to talk about. However, she subverts these myths in her memoir. She recounts how she’s navigated the world with a disability in the midst of toxic beauty standards.

The book has received rave reviews, including from the author of Call Me By Your Name, André Aciman. "Easy Beauty  is bold, honest, and superbly well-written,” Aciman wrote. “Chloé Cooper Jones is ruthless in probing our weakest and darkest areas, and does so with grace, humor, and ultimately, with something one seldom finds: kindness and humanity". It’s hard not to be mesmerized by her book.

In support of her memoir, Cooper Jones was the recipient of two grants, the 2020 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant and the 2021 Howard Foundation Grant. Beyond these accolades, Cooper Jones has also published notable works including a piece titled "Fearing For His Life", which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for freelance reporting. In the article, she wrote about the person who recorded Eric Garner’s death, Ramsey Orta. Garner was killed by the NYPD and the Orta was the person who witnessed his friend get killed by the police and exposed the truth. Jones highlighted his story and helped spread his voice, and not letting Garner be forgotten. Additionally, she’s also a contributing writer to the New York Times.

If you want to learn more about writing a memoir from Jones and get more insight into her memoir Easy Beauty, be sure to check out our virtual event Thursday, November 9th, at 6 pm. You can register on the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild website here.