Karen: A True Story Told by her mother Marie Killilea 1952 |
This is a profoundly moving book - the biography of a child afflicted by cerebral palsy who was born in an era when it was a little-understood disease with almost no treatment options or support groups. On the contrary, many people were repulsed by what they considered a dirty or degenerate condition. Written by her mother,this is a lively and engaging account of the family's experience, from discouragement to hope to triumph, all anchored by a deep religious faith that shines through. You don't have to be a devout Catholic to find this a profoundly inspirational story. Karen herself is no saint; her humor, intelligence and inner strength reveal a person of great value, even as a very young
child. Reviewed by Diane |
The Center of the Universe: A Memoir Nancy Bachrach 2009 |
An ironic, hysterically funny account of life with a crazy mother, an inept father and ancestors including a chief rabbi who went to jail for selling kosher wine during Prohibition. Nancy Bachrach's memoir revolves around her father's death from carbon monoxide poisoning and her mother emerging from a coma with severe brain damage. But the real story is how Bachrach and her siblings heal from years of neglect and abuse while helping their mother fight an agonizing battle to regain her mind and rebuild her life. This story carries you to the end with laugh out loud scenes, pages of brilliant wit and a wonderment at how it will all turn out. It's really terrific and needs to be read and enjoyed.
Reviewed by Richard |
All Over But the Shoutin' Rick Bragg 1997 |
This book stands as a testament to the power of the word and the power of mothers: both can transform us, saint and sinner alike. While Bragg writes like a demon, his momma loved liked an angel, and this book is his tribute to her. That Bragg can bring us to tears and laughter, sometimes on the same page, is a readingexperience no one should miss. This man can write!
Reviewed by Jay |
The Road From Coorain Jill Kerr Conway 1990 |
"The Western plains of New South Wales are grasslands." Grasslands that with their vastness, their cycles of drought and bounty, and above all their isolation, shaped a little girl who would one day become Smith College's first woman president.
This book has been marketed as a coming of age story for girls. It's surely that, and a remarkable one. It is also a fascinating look into a culture of many similarities - but with subtle, yet sometimes startling differences. Something else it ought to be is required reading for any young woman (particularly any gifted young woman!) trapped by a co-dependent relationship with her birth family. Read it, and think about what this world loses every time a woman capable of Jill Ker Conway's lifetime achievements subsumes her talents and sacrifices her dreams because the code of her childhood demands it Reviewed by Nina Osier |
The Pioneer Women: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: A Love Story Ree Drummond 2011 |
Ree Drummond's depiction of her cowboy husband in "The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" would make any female swoon. He is quite literally the perfect man, and yet totally believable in the role. Despite his wife's glowing characterization, the affectionately dubbed "Marlboro Man" still manages to come across as authentic and utterly likable. What seems to be a personality that is too good to be true is actually the genuine nature of a decent, respectable guy.
Ms. Drummond is more critical of her own faults and shortcomings. She grew up as an American princess. Her backyard was the golf course of a country club. Her wardrobe was filled with designer clothes. When she moved back home after a break-up, she didn't have to worry about finding a job right away in order to support herself. Not to say that her life was completely devoid of anxiety, but she lived a life that was secure and protected. Her plan was to pick herself up, dust herself off, and head to Chicago for a life filled with excitement and culture. That is until she met Marlboro Man. The beauty of the narrative lies in Ree's transformation. She was always agood-hearted person--having patience with her special needs brother, trying to be there for both of her parents as they go through a painful divorce--but she grows beyond the boundaries of her suburban mindset. It is as if she experiences a reawakening about what is really important in life versus what is just meaningless excess. The pure, unconditional love of Marlboro Man opens her eyes to a whole new host of possibilities now before her. It is beautiful twalk along with Ree as she undergoes this transformation. While in many ways a modern day fairy tale, the book is not all fluff. After their wedding, the couple comes to experience several back-to-back hardships that test their mettle right off the bat. Things do not begin to run as smoothly as during their dating days, but they come to rely on and support each other in a conjoined effort to face head-on whatever comes their way. Reviewed by Nicole Langan |
Swallow the Ocean: A Memoir Laura Flynn 2009 |
This is a moving and beautifully written love story by a daughter about her mother and her entire family. It is a must-read for anyone who has ever lived in proximity with someone who is 'walking wounded' as a consequence of mental illness, but is not ill enough to be hospitalized. In a most beautiful and moving way, Ms Flynn tells her story of growing up in San Francisco as her Mom descends into mental illness. Ms Flynn builds a bridge for us to help better understand mental illness and how families struggle to do their best under very trying circumstances.
Reviewed by Dick |
How I Came into My Inheritance and Other True Stories Dorothy Gallagher 2002 |
Dorothy Gallagher applies dry-eyed wit and candor not only to her fiercely difficult parents and their numerous associates but also to herself, which makes "How I Came Into My Inheritance" a lesson in revelation. What sets this book far above the usual memoir is the author's abiltity to tell a story, her instinct for the telling detail, the killing choice of a word. She knows how to write, and the reader cannot resist her.
While she is exceptionally good (and funny!) at illustrating the politics that defined her childhood (she would have been surprised to learn that all children didn't go to socialist summer camp), Gallagher is mesmerizing when she writes about her parents aging. She captures the exquisite heartbreak and confusion both for child and parent, and she does it with no sentimentality whatsoever. In this age of the lazy, glossy-mag confessionals, Gallagher's book is a triumph of sophisticated observation and highly skilled prose. It will raise your standards for anecdote, memoir and family history. Reviewed by a customer |
The Liar's Club: A Memoir Mary Karr 2005 |
Mary Karr grew up in an ugly place, the refinery/swamp town of Port Arthur, Texas, and in an ugly situation, with a mentally unstable mother and a hot tempered, hard drinking father. Yet out of such ugliness, she extracted great beauty in order to write this dazzling memoir. Despite Karr's dysfunctional childhood, her writing is completely devoid of woe-is-me whining or psychobabble.
Karr has a gift for spinning a tale, perhaps inherited from her father or honed at gatherings of his friends in "The Liar's Club," a group that met to drink, play cards, and swap stories. And boy, the stories she tells! There's the stories about her mother's manic/pyschotic episodes, including one time when she set her children's belongings on fire, another time when she attempted to drive the family off a bridge, and a third time when she threatened her lazy husband with a gun. Karr also tells about her inconsistent relationship with her father, who suffered a difficult life but emerged, if not unscathed, then unbroken. Most remarkable about the book, though, are not the amazing stories but the matter of fact, even at times hilarious tone in which they are told. The woman telling these stories is no victim; she is a survivor. A miserable childhood did not cause Mary Karr to surrender her spirit, but rather forged her in fire and made her stronger Reviewed by Krista |
A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, China Haven Kimmel 2002 |
This book is proof that each of us has plenty of material in our `ordinary' lives to use as material for writing a memoir. What most of us DON'T have, however, if Haven Kimmel's ability to write so well that what was really a very simple small-town childhood can be elevated to a 280-page book that utterly captivates. Kimmel achieves what many others have attempted to do and failed: she writes entirely from the child's voice without losing her audience, without becoming cloying, without making us want to smack her and say `get on with it.' By turns wickedly witty, humorous, poignant, sweet, heart-wrenching, wise.
Reviewed by Peggy Vincent |
The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother James McBride 2006 |
This book is, indeed, a tribute to the author's mother. In it, the author, a man whose mother was white and his father black, tells two stories: that of his mother and his own. Tautly written in spare, clear prose, it is a wonderful story of a bi-racial family who succeeded and achieved the American dream, despite the societal obstacles placed in its way.
The author's mother was a Polish Orthodox Jew who migrated to America at the age of two with her family during the earlynineteen twenties. She left home and moved to New York when she was nineteen and never looked back. She met and married the author's father, a black man, when mixed race marriages were still frowned upon by both whites and blacks. Still, she always felt more comfortable around blacks than around whites. When he died sixteen years later, she married another black man who nurtured her eight children by the author's father and proceeded to give her four more children. The author tells of his childhood, of his family, and of the issue of race that ultimately colored his life while growing up in predominantly black neighborhoods, where his mother stood out like a sore thumb because of the color of her skin. It was always an issue his mother avoided discussing with him, as for her it was not an issue. It was not until the author wrote this book that his mother discussed the issue of race within the context of her own life. From this dialogue emerges a fascinating look at the issues of race, as well as religion, and how it impacts on an individual's identity within our race conscious society. Reviewed by Lawyeraau |
Mostly True: A Memoir of Family, Food and Baseball Molly O'Neill 2006 |
For anyone who grew up around Columbus, OH in the 60s and 70s, Molly O'Neill's MOSTLY TRUE is a must read. It is the story of surviving four brothers, including the future Red and Yankee Paul, who were sports obsessed. Molly endures little league baseball games, the lack of a social life, and the sameness of growing up in the most middle America of towns, Columbus.
In college at Denison, she mirrors the mood of the time. She swings, but realizes that she also has to eat. The talent that she has is what her mother taught her about cooking. What seemed so boring in her youth now was a talent recognizable to all. After graduation she heads east and enters into a start-up restaurant. She makes mistakes, learns how hard it is to make a go of it in the restaurant world and eventually ends up in New York. Here her fame arrives at she becomes a famed food critic. Still, the glue to the whole narrative is her and her family,including her famous little brother, Paul. Reviewed by OlingerStories |
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table Ruth Reichl 1998 |
In this autobiography, Ruth Reichl, the longtime food critic for the NY Times, now the editor in chief at Gourmet, explains how she came to love food. The book weaves a tapestry of stories, including some about her mother (dubbed the Queen of Mold for serving completely unpalatable dishes) and her early childhood (how an early trip to Paris and her time spent at a French-Canadian boarding school influenced her tastes) to her adulthood, working in a collaborative kitchen and becoming friends with influential foodies.
The stories are often laugh out loud funny, and some are very touching (her mother's manic behavior is explained later in the book). The book allows the reader to see Reichl's influences and her deep love of food through the stories, without Reichl ever coming out and saying "these are my influences." Food lovers in particular will probably adore this book, but lovers of autobiographies will probably also enjoy it. The book is not about food, exactly, but about a woman's coming of age (and part of that coming of age is that she simply loves food and the art of its creation). Reviewed by K.Swarting |
The Women Who Raised Me Victoria Rowell 2008 |
Victoria Rowell has written a moving memoir of her life, which stands as a testament to the power of love above all else. But mainly it is an appreciation of the woman who gave birth to her and those women who raised her. Many fans will be shocked
to learn she was a ward of the state of Maine for years. Her father, whom she never met, was black and her white mother, whom she only met a few times, was descended from the Mayflower group, which makes Victoria a member of the 13th generation of that notable original group. She spends considerable time in the Prologue going over her lineage on her mother's side of the family, and she and her daughter take a trip back in time, examining their family roots in Maine. The trip with her daughter to the gravesite and her solo trip to Augusta are very emotional. The book primarily covers "the many surrogate mothers, grandmothers, aunts, fosterers, mentors, grande dames, and sisters who were as much in my blood as was my own blood-the women who raised me." These were some truly amazing and caring women who opened their hearts and homes to her. This book clearly shows us that, besides the bad things we often hear, good things can come from foster parenting and adoption. In her case, it did 'take a village' to raise her. In that regard, Victoria's life is a sterling example of both individual determination and unselfish support from others. And, not content to walk away with her fame, she has made adoption a cause in her life through the "Rowell Foster Children's Positive Plan". After all that happened, the beautiful Ms Rowell can still say to herself and to the world, about a mother she only saw three times: her mother loved her. Ms Rowell's extraordinary efforts to see her mother the third time proves she also loved her mom. Caution: many emotional moments ahead! Reviewed by RBSProds |
Stuffed: Advenures of a Restaurant Family Patricia Volk 2002 |
Quite an interesting story of a Jewish family through about 3 generations. There conquests, accomplishments, and
contributions to the "new country". A story of sibling rivalry and the sweet, obnoxious family bickering. I almost hate to say this, but this story brings back memories of a few of our family reunions. This book is very relatable and fun to read. If you come from a big, close family that swaps ideas and shares laughter as well as tears, you will definitely enjoy this book. And, if you're in the restaurant business, why wouldn't you always be "Thanksgiving Day" stuffed?! Reviewed by Barbara |
The Glass Castle Jeanette Walls 2006 |
The author describes her fascinating childhood in which her family moves around the country, following her father's dreams, staying ahead of law enforcement and bill collectors, and living the family's carefree attitude. While her father's dreams are what sustains the family for many years, slowly the four children become disillusioned as their father continually fails to provide all of the things he promises them. The father's inability to hold down a job and stay sober forces the family to live in destitution, and while the mother is continually writing and painting, this does not put food on the table. The four children learn to fend for themselves, take care of each other, and determine what is really important in their lives. Quote: "As Brian and I watched, the hole for the Glass Castle's foundation slowly filled with garbage."This was a really excellent memoir, which raised excellent questions about family, prioritization, dreams, reality, and the power of perseverance to overcome whatever challenges a person faces. The author relates her inner struggle when she wants desperately to believe in her father's big dreams, while having to scrounge in trash cans to find enough food. Although it was a bit slow in the beginning, things picked up rapidly. The book moved quickly, particularly because it is organized into short chapters. Reviewed by M Hudgens |
Denial: A Memoir of Terror Jessica Stern 2010 |
The author Jessica Stern has graduated from Harvard... has been a staff member of The National Security Council... lectures on terrorism... and for the last twenty years has studied the causes of evil and violence. Sadly, she has also been the victim of rape. In 1973 at the age of fifteen she AND her fourteen-year-old sister were raped at the same time by the same individual. The
police did not believe the sister's story that they did not know the individual who raped them. The girl's Father (Their Mother had died years earlier) was in Europe at the time of the rape... and the fact that he did not immediately return home to America affected Jessica for the rest of her life... in ways that even a highly educated woman who specialized in mentally dissecting terrorists... couldn't fully comprehend until she wrote and researched this book. Reviewed by Rick Shaq Goldstein |
Girls of a Tender Age Mary-Ann Tirone Smith 2005 |
Ms. Tirone Smith's memoir is both enchanting and riveting. She shares with us her life growing up in Hartford in the 1950's. This book is a very fast read and works extremely well of a number of levels. Ms. Tirone Smith's older brother is autistic but nobody talks about that other than to say he's "retarded". She descibes in loving detail his eccentricities - his obsession with World War II and polka music, his aversion to loud noises. Without seeking pity, she describes how this disorder has a profound effect on the functioning of the family. (This book should be required reading for family therapist's. It does a great job of describing how a "dysfunctional" family organizes around a problem. However, it also shows how functional a "dysfunctional" family can be. Illustrating this point, there is an aside very late in the book in which she attends a support group for siblings of adult autistics. It's hillarious.) The core element of the story is the rape and murder of a classmate, Irene. Ms. Tirone Smith recounts both the events of the murder but also looks at how her family and the town reacted to it. Later in life, she also realizes that she has repressed much of what has happened. She embarks on a journey to reconstruct the case, trial and execution. All of this is set against the backdrop of a Catholic/ethnic Hartford neighborhood in the 1950's. The story is told in loving detail and can be appreciated on so many levels. Reviewed by Michael Dennisuk |
Before the Knife: Memories of an African Childhood Carolyn Slaughter 2002 |
If you've read that this is a book about a child raped by her father, you may well want to give it a miss. But you shouldn't, because although the horror of this event (which Slaughter, unlike most, finds corroboration for)frames her narrative it is also a remarkable story of an African childhood.Her father, having bullied his way through the dying days of British colonial rule in India, found he couldn't settle in England, so set off with wife and two daughters for Africa. This is far from being the 'White Mischief' kind of existence, especially as the family wound up in the Kalahari desert. The bleakness and hash beauty of the landscape are what saves Carolyn - alongside discovering one true friend at school. Slaughter is an excellent novelist who mysteriously fell silent many years ago. This is the reason why, and every pages rings with a sort of piercing truthfulness and pain. It's a story of great courage which must have taken greater courage to write. Reviewed by Amanda Craig |
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou 1969 |
In a poetic, yet detatched way, Maya Angelou captures the heart of her struggles growing up female and Black during the Depression. Her style and description draw in the reader and keep her spellbound even during the most painful scenes. You feel deeply for the author and her little brother as they drift through their lives living for a bit of affection. Neglected by their divorced parents, Maya and her brother get sent to Arkansas at ages 4 and 5 to live with their grandma and handicapped uncle. Although life is hard and love not demonstrated, Maya learns much from her grandma and uncle. The theme of this book is the quest for the child to be loved by the adult. Maya feels inferior. She feels ugly and compares herself to her magical brother Bailey. Both children are starved for true affection and daydream a white movieactress on the screen is their long lost mother.Maya and her brother are eventually united with "Mother Dear" in St.Louiswhen she is eight. Unfortunately Mother's boyfriend begins to abuse Maya. This is graphically portrayed in the book. Maya's feelings of not belonging and not being truly loved are compounded after the abuse. Reviewed by D Mabey |
Gather Together In My Name Maya Angelou 1975 |
"Gather Together in My Name" is a work of autobiography by Maya Angelou. It picks up the story of her life after "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and begins when she is 17 years old and the mother of her son, Guy. Marguerite (her proper name) knows that she has to find a job so she can support herself and her son. This book covers several jobs in several cities and is an amazingly powerful look at her life. What I know of Maya Angelou is that she is a celebrated author who has written volumes of poetry and autobiography and that she seems to be a friend and favorite guest of Oprah Winfrey. The woman she is now, from all that I can tell, is a beautiful soul. What I didn't know was the experiences of her life and how she came to be the woman she is. These series of autobiographies tell of Angelou's life and the reality far surpasses anything I could have imagined. In this volume alone Maya worked as a dancer, a cook (multiple times), a Madam, a waitress, and briefly as a prostitute. The power comes in the how, the why, and in the telling of the story of these jobs and in Maya's raising of her son and interactions with her family, co-workers, false friends, and with men. Reviewed by Joe Sherry . |
Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas Maya Angelou 1976 |
The third book of Maya's life story covers her search for a husband and juggling her singing and dancing career with being a single mom. While living in San Fransisco with her little boy Guy, Maya is quickly hired by a kind record store owner and soon discovers that not all whites are like the ones who'd hurt her in the past. She meets and falls in love with a Greek sailor named Tosh Angelos. The two marry and Maya's long held fantasy of having a real family and being a housewife comes true. However, Tosh becomes controlling and Maya nearly loses herself by sacrificing her desires to please her husband. That coupled with the outside criticism of their interracial union causes a major strain. A divorce and a short stint at a strip joint (she didn't strip, but did dance routines while somewhat clothed) later, she takes a leap of faith by adopting a stage name and signing on as a calypso singer at a popular club called The Purple Onion. She then joins the famed Porgy and Bess musical and tours Europe and Africa. Her page turning travels abroad with her co-stars (that diva Martha Flowers is a trip!) make up most of the book. After nearly a year away from her son, she returns home and promises to never leave him for that long again. Much like the first two books, Singin' is frank and hard to put down. Maya is honest when discussing her dreams of becoming a star, but not giving up being a good mother in the process. Real and admirable. Reviewed by Rmcrae |
All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes Maya Angelou 1986 |
"All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes" is an effective continuation of Maya Angelou's monumental, multi-volume autobiographical narrative. This installment begins in the early 1960s, with Maya and her son living in Africa. As a whole, this book is a fascinating meditation on the ties and disjunctions that exist between African-Americans and black Africans.Maya reminisces about working for the University of Ghana, seeking employment as a journalist at the "Ghanaian Times," and beginning to pick up the Fanti language of Ghana. Particularly fascinating are her memories of the death of W.E.B. DuBois, the visit of Malcolm X to Africa, and her visit to Germany to perform in a production of Jean Genet's play "The Blacks." Angelou's book is both the vibrant record of an extraordinary woman, and an important portrait of Africa at a key era in its modern history. Reviewed by Michael Mazza |
The Kids Are All Right |
Four siblings recount life as it was before and after their patriarch's death. The writing is spectacular, and four clear voices emerge: Amanda, the rebellious elder child who seeks escape but tries to hold things together in her own way. Liz, the uber-responsible substitute mother who has a secret life. Danny: the happy-go-lucky charmer who turns hardcore delinquent. Diana, the lovable, youngest and most vulnerable family member who is literally separated from the Welches for a time in the turmoil and aftermath of their mother's death. This book underscores how vulnerable we all are, especially as children, and what family means not only in terms of emotional and spiritual identity, but also the tangibles of life: food, clothing, shelter, money. What can go awry when oversight fails, when four children are basically left to fend for themselves? The book doesn't shy away from painful realities:the struggles the family faced as new roles were created by necessity, the rage, self-medication, and resentments that people face without a safety net. The chapters on the slow decline of their valiant mother are real and painful. Tell the truth, and people will listen. The caveat that the truth is subjective at the introduction
makes the story all the more compelling. The Welches are more than all right. They are survivors with a wicked sense of humor, and you will be rooting for them from beginning to end. They have succeeded in making their parents shine with life and vitality even though these charismatic figures left the stage far too early. The stark, bitter, brutal truths told in this tale are unforgettable because it so clearly reflects reality. The good, the bad, and everything in between...Life! Scars remain, but they march forward. Reviewed by Geneva Lewis |
A Remarkable Mother Jimmy Carter 2008 |
Anyone who doesn't remember the Carter Presidency will meet in this book a truly extraordinary woman, as salty and outspoken as she was generous, good-hearted and commonsensical--perhaps the only President's mother in recent times (at least prior to the current occupant of the Oval Office) to make a noteworthy impression in public consciousness. For those who do remember her, Jimmy's fond (but not overly or needlessly sentimental) portrait will help clarify the origins of the qualities that were manifest on the surface. Rather than being a clinging or protective parent she was a "do-er," someone who taught by example. In many respects, she bears no small resemblance to the strong Southern black women with whom she had an affinity--a character with the integrity and resilience of Dilsey in Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury." Reviewed by Samuel Chell |
Paula Isabelle Allende 1995 |
Isabel Allende has made her name as a writer in the genre of magic realism, where fantastical events occur, often without warning. When her daughter Paula collapsed into an irreversibly coma due to a rare disease, Allende found herself desperate for a story to tell her dying daughter. This is the book that arose out of a mother's need to understand the past, the future, and the mysterious connection between the two. Allende tells of events before her birth, of Chilean politics and how it affected her famously political family, of falling in love, of becoming a writer, of motherhood, of her journey through Paula's illness - while embracing the spirituality that pervades her fiction. Surprisingly, the story of Allende's life bears remarkable resemblance, both in fact and in imagery, to her bestselling novel THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS. While sadness frames this memoir, the core of it pulses with life and faith. Beautifully written, with moments that will make you pause with admiration, this book is startling and powerful. Every fan of Allende should read this, both for the context it provides for her writing and for the force of her storytelling. Reviewed by Debbie Lee Wesselman |
Memories of a Catholic Girlhood Mary McCarthy 1972 |
Written long before the recent memoir craze, this book stands as one of the best of that genre. McCarthy looks back on an almost Dickensian childhood with wit and discernment. Perhaps most striking is the lack of defensiveness; writing of abuse suffered at the hands of a misguided great aunt and her sadistic husband, she traces the way it shaped her character but never uses it as an excuse. Nor is she more sparing of herself than of her relatives: she not only gives us a portrait of a realistically foolish, self-conscious adolescent Mary--recounting the sorts of youthful episodes many of us continue to blush over as we remember them in adulthood--but in notes appended to each chapter she deconstructs her own memories, noting where she has given in to the urge to
dramatize or where her recollections conflict with those of others who were present. A wonderfully honest, bracing book, refreshing in its lack of grievance and its unostentatious, unsentimental good humor. Reviewed by Jennifer Bachman |
Foreign Correspondence: A Pen Pals Journey from Down Under to All Over Geraldine Brooks 1999 |
Australian born Geraldine Brooks spent many years as a foreign correspondent covering the Middle East. In this memoir, "Foreign Correspondence," she turns the spotlight on herself.As a child growing up in a lower middle class neighborhood on a street actually called "Bland Street", she yearned for a larger world. And so she developed pen pals. There was a girl from New Jersey, another one from France, and even one from an upper class neighborhood just a few towns away. And then there were two Israeli boys, one an Arab and one a Jew. As an adult, she found these old letters in her father's basement and, now more than twenty years later, she decided to look up each of these people. What follows is the result of her quest and some wonderful insights into world events from a personal one-on-one perspective.
As a teenager in the early seventies she was aware of the new consciousness developing, even reaching her in her protective Catholic school. She had an active imagination and the gift of using words well. It's not surprising that she developed pen pals and that they influenced her life so much. Her gift of words certainly reached me too. I shared her sense of wonder and enthusiasm as she looked forward to each letter. She writes with a clear voice, painting a picture with details, taking me on her quest to discover the world and eventually to discover herself. The book is short, a mere 210 pages but she sure does pack a lot into it. It's a wonderful read. Reviewed by Linda Linquvic |
From This Day Forward Cokie Roberts 2000 |
This is refreshing book about two respected journalists, radio and TV personalities and their lives, their family relationships, marriage, children, backgrounds and parents. But, they add to the book's interest by cleverly weaving into the fabric, historical research, stories about other couples in other times and situations ranging from the colonial period, to the life-and-death struggles of African American slaves, homesteaders of the American wild west, and European immigrants escaping the holocaust. The authors have used a unusual conversational dialog style, with occasional interruptions, as would be when couples talk, and the dialog includes many of Cokie's sharp-witted and hilarious one liners. As they juxtapose their own Cokie and Steve paragraphs, you feel as if you are listening in. This book will be popular for the same reasons as "Forest Gump" was popular. Steve and Cokie let you into their thoughts and lives with a seldom-achieved wit, style, and clarity. And they do it with panache, avoiding the embarrasing intimacy of a revealing "tell-all"---President Clinton's paramours might benefit from a writing course from Professor Roberts. You won't want to put the book down, and you'll want to hug your mate or your best friend after you finish. Its easy to recognize, and to laugh and to cry about many of the anecdotes the Roberts describe, especially if you are in Cokie and Steve's generation, or are, or have been married, or have had children, or travelled abroad, or lived far away from family. Reviewed by Ed Brylawski |
Aoout Alice Calvin Trillium 2006 |
Calvin Trillin's heartfelt, touching, and occasionally humorous tribute is an expanded essay about his affection for and appreciation of his late wife, Alice. She was a stunning blonde who turned heads whenever she entered a room, but she never coasted on her good looks. Alice's integrity, character, marvelous sense of humor, unflagging energy, optimism, and down-to-earth personality made her stand out; she had a unique talent for reaching out to others and making her family, friends, and students feel valued and appreciated. Alice was a skilled listener who dispensed detailed advice, consolation, and genuine sympathy when appropriate; she had a gift for relating to people intimately without being sloppily sentimental. She lent a helping hand to "anyone she loved, or liked, or knew, or didn't quite know but knew someone who did, or didn't know from a hole in the wall," said Nora Ephron. Alice wrote letters--what a lost art letter-writing is!--and her letters were works of art. Trillin married Alice in 1965 and they enjoyed over thirty-five years together until her death on September 11, 2001. At their first meeting in 1963, Calvin was impressed by Alice's radiance. He never stopped trying to impress his wife and she never failed to impress him. Throughout her career, marriage, and even during her courageous battle with lung cancer and later, heart disease, Alice demonstrated that she was not just a pretty face. She was a enormously gifted, intelligent, and creative woman who was gave of herself unstintingly. She taught college kids, drug addicts in rehab, and prisoners in Sing Sing. "She always took it for granted that people who wanted to learn could be taught no matter what their background," and she routinely inspired her students to reach higher than they ever thought they could. She was also a talented writer, editor, and producer for educational television. Above all, Alice was a devoted wife and mother. Her love of family was shatterproof; she was a fiercely protective and involved parent who made sure that her husband and her two daughters, Abigail and Sarah, knew how much she cared for them. Alice may be gone now, but her beautiful legacy lives on. Reviewed by Bukowsky "booklover10" |
Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found Jennifer Lauck 2001 |
Blackbird proves that no matter how much pain a child or young adult endures, if they're strong enough it is possible to
grow up to lead a well balanced and productive life. All too often, with the help of psychologists and therapists, adults blame their lack of success in life on their parents. We are all so busy spending so much time blaming others, we fail to reach our potential. Jennifer Lauck, the author of Blackbird, suffered greatly and uses her childhood experiences to tell a spellbinding and heart-rending story of the loss of innocence and survival. It is amazing that a 6 year old child could not only survive the pain that was inflicted on her, but rise above it and tell her story to the entire world. The writing style is unique. Written in the perspective of 6 yr old Lauck, the story tells everything from the kitchen counter down. Some passages and thoughts are totally random and Lauck goes into great detail about the strangest subjects... just like the mind of a 6 yr old. I think this is one reasons I like the book so much. Lauck was able to capture and describe the way a child thinks and views the world in an incredible way. Reviewed by Nicholas Beatty |
The Sweeter the Juice Shirlee Hazlip 1995 |
This moving account of six generations of family history goes beyond the usual personal family narrative. The author explores her family's heritage as slaves and free blacks and whites since the Civil War era. She explores the motivations of those members of her mixed-race family who have chosen to remain black and those who have crossed over to become white. By separating issues of
skin color and racial identity, Haizlip explores the concept of race as a social construct and shows that, in some instances, one's racial identity can be a matter of personal choice. The family trees and photographs that accompany this account add to the fascination of the story. Reviewed by a customer |
Sleeping Arrangements Laura Cunningham 2000 |
Laura Cunningham's book starting with her early life with her mother is so infused with symbiotic love it will take your breath away. When her mother dies, she is only 8 years old with no visible support system and no father. Her two bachelor uncles, true eccentrics, take on her care lovingly if not clumsily. They are intelligent and gentle, not of this world. Their way of looking at people and life with break your heart. I could not put the book down and finished it within hours. I laughed out loud at her ability to tell her story, and yet often was so moved by her heartache I had tears in my eyes.
Reviewed by a customer |
Take my ex-husband but not too far Barbara Malley 1991 |
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Midstream LeeAnne Schreiber 1996 |
In her late thirties, Le Anne Schreiber left her position as Deputy Editor of the New York Times Book Review for a new and vastly different life in rural upstate New York. She wanted peace, the time to write and fish, and a chance to build into her life a different pace, different values. And then she learned that her mother had pancreatic cancer. This brilliant memoir bears witness,
unflinchingly, to the wrenching details of her mother's illness and death and her own new beginnings. She brings to her observations of nature and her mother's death, precision, wonder, tenderness, speculation, and occasional outrage. Midstream is a compelling autobiography - deeply felt and unforgettable |
Lonely Girls With Burning Eyes Marion Novak 1992 |
Read this book and thank Marian Faye Novak for writing such a difficult story. A compelling autobiography from the wife of a U.S. Marine who served in Viet-Nam during 1967 - 1968. Not the usual hero worship story glorifying war but rather a sobering account of life in the military and the demoralizing effects of an ignoble and senseless war. Extraordinary memoir recounts the emotional and mental devestation being a military wife without a support system. But, it is much more than just her story but rather the story of all the isolated women and families who waited for their men and then had to deal with the ugly after-effects. This is a story that needed telling and certainly needs to read by all the psuedo patriots anxious to send young men to fight bogus wars. Shame on Lyndon Johnson. Shame on Richard Nixon. Shame on George Bush, Jr. Shame on them, their wifes, parents and children for not opposing such heinous actions which destroyed so many lives. Thank you Marian for revealing the other side of war. Reviewed by Edward Rasen Jr. |
When Summers in the Meadow Christine Breen 2003 |
In 1985, this Irish-American couple moved from the hectic world of New York book publishing to a small farm in Ireland, attempting to recapture the simpler life of their ancestors. In O Come Ye Back to Ireland, they chronicled their first year. Here they continue the account of their lives as novice farmers in County Clare, describing their successes and failures, the crops and animals they learn to nurture, and the caring neighbors who are always ready to help and instruct. Most poignantly, they tell of their bitter disappointment at learning that they cannot have a child of their own, and of the difficult decision to begin the adoption process. At the heart of the book is the story of a year of waitingwaiting to be approved by the Irish Adoption Board, waiting for a baby, waiting for the baby to be legally theirs. When Deirdre is finally their own and the farm begins to thrive, their contentment is complete. This is the unassuming tale of two people who return to the land and succeed.
Reviewed by Publishers Weekly |
Tide, Feather, Snow: A Life in Alaska Miranda Weiss 2010 |
The most appealing aspect about TIDE, FEATHER, SNOW: A LIFE IN ALASKA is the very descriptive voice that author Miranda Weiss uses to describe her experience in Homer, Alaska. Weiss's decision was not a spur of a moment calling but something that had been living and breathing in her psyche since childhood when she assembled a 43-page research project on the state of Alaska when she was in fifth grade that also included creating a Baked Alaska as well as taking a hiking trek to the Blue Ridge Mountains as a teenager that remained a constant reminder. But Weiss describes it best: "a long slow ache" (28). Destiny may have brought her to the state known as "The Last Frontier." However, this would be a frontier where she would have to adjust and adopt to the small-town quaintness, the wilderness, living off the land, dealing with day and night, and still struggling to leave the life she left behind in the Maryland suburbs. As one reads each passage from the book, one can almost see and smell the landscape that Weiss vividly shows. Alaska may be the last frontier with parts of the state still appearing untouched, and with Weiss's several encounters with various living sea creatures, Humback whales, rockfish, salmon, and mussels for viewing or for foraging for food, this was her life; she saw the beauty of nature right before her eyes. But also situated within Weiss's narrative are layers of the historical and cultural background of the people of the Kachemak Bay region that is rich with remnants of Native cultures and settlements of the Sugpiaq, Alutiiq, Den'ina Athabascan and origins of expansionist activity in Alaska by the Russians during the 1700s and other historical tidbits. TIDE, FEATHER, SNOW is an enticing book. It is a combination of memoir and nature writing that may be compared to other books that fall under this genre, such as John Muir's narratives about living or being in touch with nature or "God's country." But in between the enthralling descriptions, Weiss shows that change is inevitable in all aspects of life that also includes the nature of things. Reviewed by R. DelParto |
Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Family Memoir Condelezza Rice 2010 |
How do you raise someone to not only succeed against daunting odds, but to do so with grace and poise? How do you raise a person of character, someone who combines authority and confidence with a winsome personal humility? Condoleezza Rice has penned a candid, revealing look at the origins of her personal journey. Here is a woman of great accomplishment who is also relaxed and open about her frailties, her struggles and her doubts. The story itself is remarkable, yet what shines in these pages is the author's ease and capacity in telling it. This is a well-crafted work, written by someone who clearly loves to read. One need not be Republican, or female, or a Stanford alum in order to value this impressive new book. One need only be a citizen of the world in this 21st century --- a world illuminated by policies and strategies shaped in part by this remarkable Secretary of State (among her other high-ranking offices). Reviewed by David Frisbie |
The Golden Road Caille Millner 2007 |
I haven't read a book this fast in a long time. It took me two days to knock this out, and it's still got me thinking. This memoir is more than I expected. It's a thoughtful, engaging, hilarious and beautifully worded mixture of self-reflection, character portraits and global observations on race, plus a few more things.
The words "voice of a new generation" are often prematurely used, but in this case, they perfectly describe Caille's life and storytelling. You won't believe it's all non-fiction. Reviewed by Baratunde Thruston |
Secret Daughter: A Mixed-Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away. June Cross 2006 |
I just finished reading this powerful book and dissolved into tears. It is so honest and personal an account of a life lived in two places, one black and one white and the inner struggles and outer slights that resulted from this displacement. It is also a love story of a white mother who couldn't keep her bi-racial daughter, didn't always understand the shoes that she walked in, but loved her the best way she knew how from afar. The author writes from such a deep place that anyone can identify with her, no matter what their background. The writing is moving, wonderful and well crafted, often poignant and gut wrenching. It is also a success story of someone putting back the pieces of a fragmented life torn with racial dissent and misunderstanding. But it will help you understand your world better and hers as well, so that it becomes one world- not hers, not yours, but all of ours. It is not filled with self pity, does not lecture, has wonderful show business and socially significant insights and will make you laugh cry and think. Anyone who reads this will be all the more richer as a human being for doing so.... I know I was!
Reviewed by Victory Levi |
Whisper My Secret JB Rowley 2013 |
This is the kind of story that hurts your heart. But it's also a story of love and new beginnings.
JB Rowley, upon her mother's death, found a hidden box ... and in that box, her mother's secret. The result is Whisper My Secret, an extraordinary accounting of heartbreak, disappointment, betrayal, and loss. But it is also a story of resilience. Myrtle, the author's mother, wanted one thing in life - to be a good wife and mother. And she was. But her first husband and his parents treated her with indifference and, then, contempt. And because of them, she lost her three children. I actually felt anger rising as I read Myrtle's story. How could this happen? However, because of the love from another man - JB's father - Myrtle blossomed and was able to live the life she always wanted. I wonder how JB felt when she realized she had siblings she didn't even know existed. Readers get a small glimpse of that, but not enough. And I want to know more about those three children: Bertie, Audrey and Noel. This illustrates just how involved I got in this story and the people in it. I feel like I know them. And I want to know more. Reviewed by Mary Watkins |
Shocked Patricia Volk 2013 |
Parts of this book are funny and it's all a study into the mysterious world of artistic and outrageous women. There are lots of pictures too. You can see the author's mom, Audrey Elaine Morgan Volk and also Elsa Luisa Maria Schiaparelli look as they are described. Schiaparelli "Schiap" dressed in high style and revealing ways and blurred her whole life with art. Fashion and art are interwoven themes in Patricia Volk's entire life.
There is a lot of good wisdom delivered at unexpected moments. Schiap gives advice on men. Audrey gives financial advice. It's serious stuff. The sad section details the ends for Schiap and Audrey. This made an impression on me, how such artistic people live and die. I recommend this book. Reviewed by Citizen John |
Un-Remarrried Widow Artis Henderson 2013 |
Unremarried Widow is no ordinary memoir. It is deeply emotional, painful, and tragic yet it is filled with courage, determination and hope. In this poignant and tender memoir Artis Henderson paints a sweeping canvas of a love story that will live on long after the last page is turned, even as she dreams of him "in the early hours of the morning, the time when the veil between the living world and the afterlife is thinnest".
The memoir is not only about Artis and Miles Henderson: their courtship, marriage and the tragic death of Miles four months after their marriage, but it is also a book that takes a closer look at military life, and its impact on individuals as well as their families. It is a book that deals with the anxiety, loneliness and emotional twinge felt by all connected with military life. Unremarried Widow by Artis Henderson is evocative and heart-rending. It is a stunningly crafted passionate love story nipped in the bud by the combined savagery of fate and man-made war. It is a book not to be missed. Reviewed by Khamneithang Vaiphei |
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage Ann Patchett 2013 |
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage is a collection of essays by a writer who is best known for writing novels. I haven't read any of Ann Patchett's novels, and probably won't, because I never seem to get around to reading contemporary fiction. But I often enjoy the essays of novelists -- Amy Tan, Stephen King, Susan Orlean, and many others. The title intrigued me. Was it meant ironically? Smugly?
Most of these pieces are autobiographical in some way although they don't add up to a memoir as such. They are articles and essays that have been previously published, in magazines and journals, at different stages in Patchett's career. I especially enjoyed her book tour experiences, which she seemed to appreciate, if not actually enjoy. Her piece about taking the grueling exam for the Los Angeles Police Academy was also fascinating. Many of the essays are about relationships that have been important in her life, such as those with her grandmother, her first husband, her father, her dog. Then there's the title essay, late in the book, which is good planning. If you already know and like Patchett, you can read the essays out of order, but if, like me, you are new to her writing, it's good to get to know her through the essays that precede it. By the time I got to the happy marriage piece, I quite liked Patchett and was fine with following her long story of how she and her current husband met and didn't get married for eleven years. I think that if I had not got to know her through the previous 200 pages of essays, I might have found her happy story just a bit too self-satisfied. As it was, I was happy for her and grateful for a happy ending to a story that could have ended unhappily. It's a pleasure to add Ann Patchett to my list of novelists who write great essays. Reviewed by Amazon Vine |
Come by Here Clarence Major 2007 |
This intimate look at race and its implications captured me the minute I opened this book. Clarence Major, the well-known poet, has written a beautiful and touching memoir on his mother's story. Although African American, Inez realized she could pass as a white woman with her light skin and was determined to not let Jim Crow laws hinder on her life. She embarks on a double identity in order to help her family. In the end, this sacrifice leads to self-discovery and offers readers an important look at racial challenges in our recent history.
Reviewed by a Customer |
Her Christa Parravani 2013 |
Cara Parravani was living a relatively happy life. She was newly married and enjoyed a close and healthy relationship with her twin sister Christa. This all changed after she was brutally raped by Edgar Hernandez. After the rape, Cara told her twin that she now knew what it was to be a woman. Christa said that Hernandez "untwinned" them.
Cara sought escape and solace in drugs, finally narrowing her focus down to the drug choice for those who don't want to live. She'd told Christa that she saw herself die during the rape, but surprisingly heroin helped Cara to have some semblance of living. In the end, the heroin that took the edge off the pain took her life. This is the point at which Christa's life spun out of control. Christa was the steadier, less needy person, but nonetheless needed her sister. Cara's loss submerged her in grief and dysfunctional behavior, but over time she regained her balance. Christa is an excellent writer and "Her" is a compelling memoir. But what I am left with in the end is a revulsion with the casual and cavalier attitude with which one person destroyed another person's life in order to meet his twisted needs. I am brought back to Atticus saying that rape is, "by force and without consent." The legal terms are very cerebral, but the aftermath is anything but cerebral. Over and over again these thoughts came to me as I read the book. It is my reminder. It is any woman's reminder and a reminder for any father, brother, and man who loves a woman. Guard yourself and the ones you love. Be aware and teach your daughters that being safe is better than "being nice." It is a reminder for parents of sons. It is a reminder for lawmakers. Cara was raped on October 18, 2001 at 3:30 in the afternoon. Hernandez had a convictions for "domestic assault and battery, assault and battery on a police officer, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon." (AP Oct 3, 2003). The AP also reported that between 1993 and 2000 no less than six women had taken out restraining orders against Hernandez. If only...if only... I am glad I journeyed with Christa as she came to terms with a life without Cara and I recommend this book to anyone who wants a glimpse behind the veil of twin-hood and also anyone who is willing to brave the insanity to which rape can bring a whole person. Cara was a brave young lady, and Christa is too. Reviewed by a customer |
Truth is stranger than fiction, so they say. Some of the events in this book may seem unbelievable, but I know they are true, as I knew some of these people when I was growing up in the same area of Detroit. I admired Maude for her strength to endure the loss, grief and disappointments that came her way of which she had no control; and I was saddened how happiness eluded her. But she made the best of things as much as she could. Life was hard in the early part of the twentieth century in the south, but it was just accepted as the way things were. They decided to leave all their worldly possessions behind and go to Detroit, along with the throngs that came north to work in the booming auto industry, even walking part of the way! The physical and economic side of life got easier, and she was finally able to get more control of her life, but disappointments still followed. This book sort of reminded me of "The Dollmaker" by Harriette Arnow
Reviewed by Carol Wheatley
Reviewed by Carol Wheatley
Maude
Donna Mabry
2014
Donna Mabry
2014
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Sometimes books can really change your life. When I Married My Mother by Jo Maeder is one of those books. First, the title got me by asking, "What does that mean?" and then once I realized what it was about, I knew I had to read it.
What got me hooked was that Jo had a tenuous relationship with her mother. I have had one with my step-mother, too. She was the only mother I knew since my mother died during my birth. I could go on for hours how my step-mother was "not what I wanted in a mother," but I won't. What I did ask myself is: if Jo can heal a relationship with her mother, why can't I? While I was reading the book, I brought it on a visit with my step-mother. She asked what I was reading and I told her. As I remembered Jo's magic with her mother, something shifted in me, and I realized my old way of thinking needed to leave so my step-mom and I could created magic, too. It worked! It was a huge leap into trying to heal a deep wound. It became a magical weekend from then on. And as I left, she said to me as she hugged me tightly, "I can't ever remember having such a good weekend with you as I did this time! You know I am going to miss you." I almost fell over! I had never heard those worlds before. When I Married My Mother is written with insight, humor, and honesty. I think everyone who has a "mommy" issue could grow from Jo's wisdom. As she says, "If you're not right with your mama, you probably won't be right with anyone." I have thought about that one sentence for awhile now. It has brought me to action to change my ways; as really I am the only one who can change any situation I have problems with. Reviewed by Noraza |
When I Married My Mother
Jo Maeder
2014
Jo Maeder
2014
The House of Happy Endings Leslie Garis 2008 |
Leslie Garis' account of growing up in a harrowingly fragile family of
writers in the 50s and 60s is the most affecting book I've read for
months. In their vast Amherst house, we meet her gallingly successful
grandfather Howard Garis (of Uncle Wiggly fame), his toxic wife (The
Bobbsey Twins), and their tireless failure of a son--Roger Garis
(Leslie's father)--who aimed higher than his parents but withered in
their shadows, spiraling down into addiction, insanity, and
fecklessness.
The hero of the book, and the one for whom I shed the most tears, is Leslie's mother, who somehow kept this combustible trio functioning as long as she could on ever tighter budgets, while raising three children (Leslie and her two brothers), each with their own heartrending challenges. The story unfolds against a fascinating literary and theatrical backdrop peopled by (among others) Robert Frost, Tennessee Williams and (posthumously, hauntingly) Emily Dickinson. Beautifully observed, compassionate, and filled with more cliffhangers than "normal life" usually delivers, The House of Happy Endings left me rather shattered and profoundly moved. I found myself staring at the photo of the family on the book's cover long after I'd finished reading, feebly trying to stroke the faces of the little boys, as if to comfort them. Reviewed by Dale Hrabi |
A Bridge Between: Northern
Italy Come Hell or High Water
Vela Pola
2013
Italy Come Hell or High Water
Vela Pola
2013
Stories of My Life is a fascinating personal account of the life of renown author Katherine Paterson. It is told with humor and a keen perception of the world and people around her. As author Nancy Graff writes in one of the introductions, "Week after week, one of the greatest story tellers has told me the story of her exceptional life. Diners no more than three feet away, deep into their meatloaf, are oblivious to the presence of the Former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, the winner of the Astrid Lingred Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Medal." Indeed Stories of My Life gives a glimpse of a person who writes not for honors but with a sense of purpose. It gives a glimpse of a real person who, like each of us,wants friendship, love and a sense of community. Here is a person who embraces life with all it's intricacies and gives back to it in full.
Reviewed by Winifred Mccormick
Reviewed by Winifred Mccormick
Stories of My LIfe
Katherine Patterson
2014
Katherine Patterson
2014
Bastards: A Memoir Mary Anna King 2015 |
I read this memoir as fast as I possibly could, eager to hear what happened next in Mary Anna King's life. Born to parents who kept having children but weren't able for a variety of reasons to actually raise them, she is in many ways alone, although she has six siblings. Her life takes her from a housing development full of single mothers in New Jersey to Oklahoma City, where she is raised by her grandfather and step-grandmother. The contrast between her mother's unconditional but messy love and her grandparent's steady but colder caretaking brings up many issues of what love is, and what a child needs to flourish. The last four girls in Mary's family are all put up for adoption, and much of the second half of the memoir is about gradually meeting them all and trying to form a family with full siblings that non-the-less have lived lives all very different from each other. It's an amazing inadvertent experiment in nature vs. nurture. As Mary says, chaos seems to find her sisters, even though they were raised in homes very different than her own. The family trait of forms of reckless living, drinking and questionable choices finds them all to some extent, but in addition, more positive traits come through---almost all of them can sing, like their ne'er-do-well father. Few people have lived a life like the one described here. Few people would want to, but I think almost anyone will want to read about it. It's an amazing story, skillfully told. Reviewed by Suzanne Amara |
The Outskirts of Hope Jo Iverster 2015 |
I picked up the Outskirts of Hope in my local bookstore because the author is a local, and I'm also really interested in the Civil Rights era, the period during which most of this memoir takes place. As I read the book, it was really hard to not put myself in the place of Aura, the woman whose life is uprooted in 1967 (along with the rest of her family) from a comfortable Boston existence and transferred to a tiny town in the Mississippi Delta so her husband can start a medical clinic. I'm the age Aura was when the story starts, and I also have a child (Aura's young daughter Jo is also a compelling voice in this memoir, and it's Jo's experience that ends up the linchpin of the story, both bringing their time in MS to a climax, and then providing its coda 40 years later). While the culture shock Aura experiences is constantly interesting to read about, what ends up coming through is how she turns an entirely unpredicted and, at first unwanted, life change into a catalyst for her own new paths in life. She enters Mississippi as a dutiful yet reluctant wife and by the time she leaves...well, I won't spoil it. Suffice to say, there are places in life, both literal and metaphorical, you can never go back to once your eyes are opened. Reviewed by Soccer Mom |
The Butterfly Groove Jessica Barraco 2015 |
A Mother/Daughter relationship is one that most women take for granted - we never think of our mother's having any other life than that of mom, or perhaps a working mom. But these women who gave birth to us have had their own lives when they were younger - sometimes they share those memories, sometimes those memories are gone or kept secret forever.
Author Jessica Barraco found her late mother's life to be one of mystery, secrets and intrigue. Jessica's mother died when Jessica was 12, a tender age when a girl needs her mom the most. As she grew older, Jessica found herself asking questions about her mother, but finding no ready answers. So she took it upon herself to seek out the answers she so badly needed to discover, and the secrets she uncovered were life-changing. "The Butterfly Groove" is a powerfully emotional story that will grip the hearts of readers as they travel along on Jessica's journey to find the truth. There are moments of sadness and moments of joy represented in this fascinating story - it is one you won't forget soon. I highly recommend this book as one both mothers and daughters would want to read together. reviewed by Sharon Chance |
Laughing without an accent Firoozeh Dumas (2008) |
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was so funny and interesting and contained a lot of wisdom too. I never knew anybody from Iran. I had lots of bad impressions from the hostage crisis. Also I had been frightened by seeing on tv the apparent need for people in Iran to go out in the streets and chant, "Death to America" It is hard to feel good about people who appear to want you dead. But this book made me feel so much better. I liked learning all about Iranian people, especially the food. And it was very comforting to hear from an Iranian who actually liked some things about America and who did not appear to want people like me dead. The humor helped also.
reviewed by E Cartwright |
White Dresses Mary Peterson 2015 |
I loved all the background history of Mary"s family. I am a Hoarded and understand a good amount of the psychology behind it. The ones closest to a Hoarded, especially their children, seldom really understand the root of the problem or the attachment to so much 'stuff'! Mary does an excellent job of documenting her Mother Ann's past and her gradual decline into hoarding. A frequent comment is " If you would just let us help and get rid of all this stuff you would feel so much better." But we don't. It isn't impossible to overcome but those who treat boarder say it is one of the most persistent addictions. In spite of Mary's great challenges growing up,she has been very blessed to experience many varied opportunities throughout her life including having children and most important a love of her life who loves her, allows her to be who she is, and gets her! As for Ann? Her Spirit is amongst loved ones and is free at last. reviewed by Brenda Kehoeon |
Ghost Songs Regina McBride 2016 |
Regina McBride's Ghost Songs is both haunting and powerful, as it is also a testament to her resilience. In this coming of age memoir, she weaves time and place with incredible deftness and skill. This is her story about losing both of her parents to suicide. Not an easy subject to tackle, but McBride does it with hope and grace and never places blame on her parents. The book is speckled with beautiful vignettes, in which she recalls her life growing up in Santa Fe with brilliant sensitivity. To anyone that has dealt with suicide, this book may be somewhat cathartic, it was for me. There are books that I remember and books whose memory fades. This book has has carved a place in in both my mental vault and my heart. A truly great read! Reviewed by Dana Leoon |
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Written from the point of view of Julie, the youngest in a family of nine children, Memoir of the Sunday Brunch is a heartwarming and funny story. The family business is a restaurant in Milwaukee, and I do mean it's a family business. Each child has to earn their rite of passage by working the Sunday brunch.
Her father, George, has very strict rules that must be observed while working in the restaurant. However those rules are often had to follow after skipping breakfast, or while nursing a hangover. And Mother's Day stretches all of the employees to their limits. Knowing nothing about the restaurant business, I found their antics very amusing. But I have to say how work in a family restaurant business spilled over into life at home became laugh out loud, hysterical. I love books that bring out emotion, whether happy or sad, it doesn't matter to me. I want to feel the story not just read it. Julia Pandl is a very talented writer. The first half of the book is written in a captivating manner while we watch a teenage girl grow into herself. There comes a point when the family experiences a time of overpowering grief. Ms. Pandl changed her writing style at the precise moment necessary bringing tears to my eyes. I never like to reveal much about the specifics in a book. I believe a reader wants to find those things out on their own. I love to comment on the character of the story and whether or not it's worth reading. Memoir of the Sunday Brunch is a not only a tribute to a talented writer, it pays homage to a loving mother and father and the family they created. reviewed by Linda Wright |
Educated Tara Westover 2018 |
I was enthralled and moved by this powerful memoir. The author grew up in a survivalist family in Idaho, the youngest child. She was not homeschooled---instead, she simply didn't go to school at all, due to her father's mistrust of public schools. Her family didn't believe in modern medicine. Instead, her mother was an herbalist and midwife. Her father owned a junkyard. Her childhood is affected over and over by serious injuries of family members, injuries which are not treated.
As Tara gets into her preteen and teen years, one older brother in particular starts tormenting her, and the tormenting rises to the level of hugely severe abuse. In part in response to this, she decides to go to college, and by pretty much sheer force of will, does well enough on the ACT to get into Brigham Young University. From there, she starts a storied college career and eventually gets a doctorate from Cambridge. However, each time she is drawn back to the her family, her brother's abuse continues, and the family denial turns more and more severe. The memoir becomes a story of her internal struggle---to believe her own version of her life and to have the strength to break away from her past. I've struggled with some issues of my own in remembering the past differently than others, and I well know the feeling that the author has over and over. One line, "reality becomes fluid", hit me very hard. When you know something happened a certain way, but others can't accept that reality and attempt to change the past by denying it---Tara Westover is able to write about this so powerfully I was crying at points. I hope this book gets wide readership. It's an amazing glimpse into a way of life that most of us will never know, and an inspiring story of one woman's ability to change her future. Reviewed by S Amara |
A Girl's guide to MIssiles Karen Piper 2018 |
An interview on the author on NPR's “Fresh Air” made me aware of this book. As this was written about the town where I was born and raised, I was excited to read it... and it didn't disappoint. Ms. Piper shares a her gift of story-telling, diving into the history of an town, a culture, a people - a perspective born of Navy brats and desert rats. While I agree with some reviewers that there are discrepancies in some of the landmarks she writes about and that some experiences may be exaggerated by the presenting these from the frame of mind of the child that she was when events happened, it doesn't make me doubt the authenticity of her experience growing up in this place. I appreciate how the author, through research into declassified archives, unveils the layers of the history and politics and culture of the naval base; her book has spiked my curiosity to find out more about the programs that my own father and grandfather worked on (which included the Sidewinder). I definitely appreciated the perspective she offered of coming of age in a small, rural town, and then leaving it for other environs where she gained a new understanding of who she is and challenged her conservative beliefs. It is a beautiful coming-of-age story, framed in the context of a carefully crafted community - which, in my experience, was quaint and beautiful but also wrought with hypocrisy. Reading this book filled me with delight - to read about a place so familiar that only insiders will really know what “Corny’s Shoes” really means.
Reviewed by Charles Holland |
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Nicole Chung’s impeccably told memoir ALL YOU CAN EVER KNOW is about growing up in a world where she felt she didn’t fit in. Her white parents adopted her as a premature baby, struggling for life in the NICU, born to a Korean family, and she was given one story her whole life about why she was put up for adoption. While her parents were loving and cared for her, they were not aware of what she was going through. She never met another person who looked like she did in the small town in Oregon where she grew up, was never introduced to her birth culture, never truly felt like she belonged, and suffered through years of cruel jokes about her physical appearance at the hands of other children.
It isn’t until she leaves home for college that Nicole feels free, meets other Asian Americans, and people with whom she feels a sense of belonging. Married and a soon-to-be-mother, she is ready to find out about her birth parents. The journey begins to unfold. Nicole’s story is heartbreaking, heartwarming, enlightening, and told with such warmth, and without bitterness. It is about race, the urgent need to belong, and the importance of family. This book is impossible to read without feeling the intensity of love. reviewed by Carlynp |
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As someone who discovered thru my Ancestry DNA test close to age 40 that I was the product of artificial insemination, this story indeed struck a chord with me. Contrary to one of the comments above about there not being secrecy in the 1970s, there was indeed secrecy well into the 1980s regarding the use of donor sperm from med students/residents and the practice of artificial insemination. There are no records available to many donor-conceived adults conceived thru the late 1980s. Recipient parents were told that secrecy was of the utmost importance and never to tell the children conceived this way. It astounds me that so little thought was going into a practice that was creating human beings. Dani eloquently writes about feelings and deeply personal reflections that I myself have felt. Please remember that donor-conceived people are people with feelings and it is a basic human right to want to know where you came from. We did not ask to be created this way. If you know someone who is donor conceived or you yourself are, I highly recommend this book!
reviewed by rjm |
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When I Was White
Sarah Valentine 2019 |
Growing up I never in a million years would have guessed that someone else was living the exact same life I was. This book was affirming in so many ways, helping me to feel like the emotions and questions and feelings I was having were normal for someone in our circumstances. Sarah so eloquently describes what it's like to be caught in the middle of two identities and what it feels like when the people around you don't help you sort it out in any manner that makes sense to you, and how traumatic it is to find out the person you were told was your father is not as an adult. I found myself crying multiple times because it took me back to things that had happened to me. This hit so incredibly close to home and was so personally applicable, that I found myself lost in the pages as if I had written them. I highly recommend it to anyone who found themself in this position, or anyone who knows someone who was. It will help you better understand the personal conflict, the mental and emotional stress and trauma it brings when you find out information about your biology later in life. And it will help you understand why those of us who are mixed sometimes struggle to figure out where we belong.
Reviewed by Jodi Girard |
The World According to Fannie Davis Bridgett DAvis 2019 |
What a delightful, beautifully written tribute to an amazing mother. I’ve always been fascinated by the “numbers” business but this book, while revealing much about this enterprise often prevalent in the black community, is so much more.
A remarkable story about love, a mother- daughter relationship, family, friendships, life and loss. If Fannie Davis had only had the benefit of a formal education and had not suffered the pain of prejudice and discrimination, one only wonders if she might not have done a better job running Detroit and it’s industries than those chosen to do so. reviewed by JRL |
Murder, Motherhood and Miraculous Grace Debra Moerke 2019 |
Through each tragedy grace follows with the whispered prayers of a mom. This book takes you on a journey of trust and allows you to see how God turns beauty from ashes in the true and sometimes heartbreaking events in this book. This is testimony of what God can do through a woman with a willing heart to obey even through the craziest of circumstances.
Reviewed by A Schaf |
Memorial Drive
Natasha Trethewey 2020 |
Trethewey makes her mother and her memories viscerally alive, in a process that seems to me to be a form of transmutation. I'm not sure how someone who hasn't experienced this type of violent loss would read it, but my hope is it will give him or her a way to sympathize with the losses of those around them. And for those of us who have experienced it, to read this is to put words and meaning to pain that is sometimes impossible to describe.
reviewed by Elizabeth Rose |
Freckled Toby Neal 2018 |
Toby Neal does a terrific job telling her childhood story, as well as the story of Kauai, Hawaii back in the 1960s and 1970s. Even more importantly, she shows how “bad” parents can be as educational to a child as “good” parents, and how “growing up wild” can make a child highly resourceful and resilient. Subpar parents and a childhood where bad things happened, such as bullying, does not doom a child. Apples can fall far, far away from the tree. From a very young age, everyone starts making decisions about their lives and how to respond to what happens to them. You can blame your parents and others and society until you’re 90 years old, but it’s a silly, stupid thing to be doing. Read this book if you want to read about someone taking full responsibility for her life. Read this book if you want to experience and understand life back in Hawaii 50 years ago, as lived by one freckled, red-headed girl.
Reviewed by Sunday at Dusk |
The Window Seat
Aminatta Forna 2021 |
Aleksandar Hemon said it best: "[Aminatta Forna] is brilliant at thinking in narration and can thus tell superb stories about her life and experience." These essays read like someone telling you a great story, and Forna makes it seem effortless. There aren't any weak pieces; some are intended to be more modest in scope than others, but IMO they all succeed at what they set out to do. It helps that many of her concerns & observations resonated with me. She's the kind of essayist that you immediately feel you can trust, and who you'll follow anywhere, knowing she'll mine every topic for its most interesting aspects.
reviewed by an amazon customer |
How To Forget
Kate Mulgrew 2018 |
I simply can NOT say enough good things about this book! Mulgrew's second book continues on in her personal quest for insight, trying to understand her parents, their relationship, and her relationship with them. After returning to Iowa to care for each if her parents in their seperate final days, she explores the emotional rollercoaster that many of us experience with the impending death of our own parents. I laughed, I cried. Reviwed by SA |