Anthony Moll's Reading of "Out of Step" Review

A link to his book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Out-Step-Memoir-Fiction-Collection/dp/0814254829

Last Tuesday I had the opportunity of attending Anthony Moll's live reading of his memoir Out of Step, the story about the experiences of a bisexual boy from Reno, Nevada who decided to join the military.

My Review

I had never heard of Anthony Moll or his memoir before attending this reading. I was feeling a little apprehensive because the title of the memoir didn't sound too interesting and I thought it was going to be another preachy kind of reading where the author tries to tell you how to fix yourself and be successful. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Moll's memoir, from what I could glean from the 4 snippets he read, was raw and poetic, with beautiful descriptions that really painted a thorough picture of Moll's friends, boring Reno hometown, and experience in the military. He spoke eloquently and really engaged the audience. I was surprised by how confident he sounded. He seemed perfectly at ease, even with all the people sitting there watching him, and if he was feeling some nerves they didn't effect the flow of his voice. I also enjoyed the question and answer section, because we got an even more in-depth explanation of Moll's life, his relationship with his parents, his views on the military and so on.

His Views on the Military

Moll stated expressly in the question and answer portion of the reading that he doesn't really agree with the military. This was really interesting to me, since my boyfriend is enlisted in the army. My boyfriend comes from a military family, his roommate/best friend (who I see everyday) is in the military, and he loves serving. It was interesting to hear a different opinion from the one I hear almost every day.

Moll explained that perhaps his biggest reason for not being so supportive of our military is the low-key homophobia he witnessed while he served, which made him feel like an outsider. I also remember him stating that he didn't like how the military sort of has this system of chewing up soldiers and spitting them out, leaving them unsupported. The suicide and homelessness rates for veterans is scandalously high, and the mental health support for them is not up to par.

Moll also stated that at 18 years old, you don't know what it means to kill someone or be killed.

However, Moll also mentions that the only reason he joined the military was because he was a poor boy who wanted to get out of his home town- a reason why many men and women join the military. Moll's experience was vastly different from my boyfriend's. My boyfriend grew up in West Point. His father, grandfather, great-grandfather and so on all served. He LOVES his country. Like seriously. He's also straight. It's no wonder he would have a much better experience than Moll.

Still, it was so interesting to hear another person's point of view. It's important to understand others experiences, and recognize fault where there is fault. The military isn't perfect. Our country could and should do better for our veterans. People should stop being homophobic. Without Moll's story, I and probably many others, would not have been aware of these problems within our military.