Relate to the Memoir

Jakub
The memoir reflected a lot of the interactions I have with my friends, in terms of telling stories to one another. I often look back at interesting or topical moments in my life to share with my friends and a lot of the times the stories might not go anywhere, they may not have a “punchline”, but that's just how life is sometimes. Harveys stories flow in a similar way, but where they differ is the specific contents of the stories. Most of the events Harvey describes are very different from my own life, like the way I interact with people, my relationships, and the decisions I make. Although, I can relate to some of Harvey’s experiences he mentioned in the Be-ins since there's a lot of freedom in speech and expression in today's world. Overall, Harvey’s ability to capture the reality of an average person (an American to be more specific) creates a memoir that most people can relate to on some level.

Anthony
Harvey Pekar wrote his graphic memoir in such a way that I believe that a lot of people can relate to, which is part of the reason why it is so popular. I can relate to his memoir because I have had my share of dealing with stubborn people. Just like the story with Tina, I once met a girl who would always play games with me. It gets frustrating because I didn't know what she wanted. Reading Pekar's point of view on the subject really made me feel better. It's good to see that I am not the only one out there who was treated like that and to see it published for millions of people is kind of like I shared my story to the rest of the world. In terms of characters in the story, I feel like everyone and this includes myself, talks about their problems with a friend or confidant. Pekar is usually portrayed talking to a friend about his problems or past and that is exactly what I do as well. I spend time with friends and we all talk about our troubles and then we get insight from them. Yet, my stories are never as interesting as Pekar's which is why millions of people love his stories; they're relatable and yet seem so farfetched.