ABSTRACT
Jim Corder opens Yonder: Life on the Far Side of Change by saying that he would be surprised if his collection counts as a memoir or autobiography, yet he continues to justify his collection of personal essays as memoir and as history where “the momentous” happens in everyday life. At the same time, he acknowledges what his mother taught him-not to call attention to himself. Corder has it both ways: He does what he wants in writing but admits he knows better; he mixes and writes across genres but demonstrates his knowledge of genre expectations; he calls attention to himself but admits guilt; and he understands his personal experiences as cultural and political. He may be rebellious, but his mother raised him right.
