July 11, 2010
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One of my favorite literary genres is memoir. I have enjoyed reading memoirs all my life, and, as much as I love a good tale, I sometimes…often…prefer a well-written, fascinating memoir over a novel. While I know that it is mpossible for me to go everywhere I want to go, know all the people I want to know, and understand or even glimpse all the myriad cultures in our diverse world, by reading memoirs I can at least learn something about those places, people and their lives.
In recent years, I’ve greatly enjoyed West with the Night by Beryl Markham, Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen, Don’t Lets Go to the DogsTonight by Alexandra Fuller, Shadows on the Koyukuk by Sidney Huntington, Arctic Homestead by Norma Cobb (I found out last month that my husband’s chiropractor, while dealing with a motorhome breakdown, met Norma in Alaska two years ago and goes back to visit with her!), In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White,True North by Elliott Merrick, several of Helen Hoover’s books, Having our Say by the Delaney sisters, at least two dozen personal accounts by Holocaust survivors, at least three or four dozen about women pioneers in the Old West, the simply wonderful Lazy B by Sandra Day O’Connor, and many more. I have enjoyed them all.
Last evening I finishedThe Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. This book captivated me while it shocked, horrified, repelled, and touched me. Often, the hallmark of a good memoir is its ability to make the reader laugh, cry and question. This book did NOT make me laugh. It DID make me want to read it straight through, allowing for no stopping at go, no putting it down to eat or sleep or tend to a household, no resting until the last page was finished. I don’t get to read that way….I just want to, when it comes to certain books.
What was so intriguing about this amazing book, you might ask? I’m not sure. It made me have many questions. First, it’s probably true that I’m not the only one to question its validity. Can this story be truly true? Could this woman have lived through such a childhood and come through intact? The answer is yes, she did. There are plenty of witnesses to support her claims, so she is not making this up. And not only did she survive, she thrived. What a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit!
Other questions this book raises for me concern our conception of how we determine what is the “right” way to live. In a society where we have the freedom to choose, why do some choose to live so far outside the norm? Are some people hard-wired so that it is impossible for them to adapt to societal standards? Are there those who will simply live to defy “rules,” no matter what the rules? And how do those people raise children who ultimately choose to live within the “rules,” at any cost?
Is alcoholism a disease? Should parents be held accountable by the law to raise their children according to that law’s arbitrary standards? What type of personality takes a rough, tough childhood and grows it into a strong, resilient, successful adulthood? What are the most important lessons parents can teach their children?
A Glass Castle made me think on these things and more. I will be thinking a while….
In the meantime, my bedside table calls me. Three new memoirs await–Brother to a Dragonfly, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, and Boom Town Boy: Coming of Age on America’s Lost Frontier. I’m facing a delicious dilemma–which to read first???
Comments (9)
I love to read as well. I recently read again The Diary of Anne Frank after watching the movie (again). Her story captivates me. I also watched a movie on Corrie Ten Boom and now have the book. I may have to read the one you mentioned on the holocaust survivors. The stories of the people who survived that whole ordeal really amaze me and make me really think how great my life really is here in my own little part of the country.
Perhaps my all time favorite books is Follow the River by James Alexander Thom. It was also made into a movie but the book was such more detailed and I enjoyed it so much more. I have read this book at least twice. The hardships that the character, Mary Ingles, went through after being captured by Indians and then finally escaping and her whole ordeal to get back home are so vividly detailed in this book. It is a very good read.
I also love reading about the women pioneers. I need to get a list of the ones you liked best and see if I have read any of them. Always looking for a good review on a book. I too have a whole stack of books on my bedside table just waiting to be picked up and loved.
Yes, indeed I am also recommending Follow The River. One of those books that I could not put down. Far better than the movie.
One book I love and hear little about is Mary Higgins Clark’s Kitchen Privileges. Her memoir of her life as she began her writing career. It will make you laugh out loud in places. I found it delightful.
I enjoy nonfiction, biographies and Ann Rule’s true mysteries. I have read everything I can find about the Holocaust since the 1961 Eichmann trial revealed to me the horrors of that dark time and the evil nature of man. I need to make a list from your suggestions and take it to the 2 libraries I am blessed to have near my home. Very nice post, thanks for sharing.
You might like A Fortunate Life, by A.B. Facey.
I’m reading a biography about L.M. Montgomery right now, The Gift of Wings, by Mary Rubio.
Letters of a Woman Homesteader, by Elinore Pruitt, is one I’ve read several times. You might like that one, too. It’s a happier read.
I read Out of Africa last summer and enjoyed it. I also have read the Delany sisters….wonderful books. I’ll be writing down your list and will look for the books at our library. Thanks. Shanda
@purpleamethyst76 - Oh, Letters of a Woman Homesteader should have been on my list….I just loved it! In fact, my little group read it to discuss and we ALL loved it. You’re right….a much happier read!
@Lucy_or_Ethel -
@nwacountrybumpkin - Will add Follow the River to my bedside stack as soon as I can put my hands on it! Thanks for the rec to both of you! I love recs!!!!!
Your welcome for the recommendation. I enjoy hearing about “good reads” as well. I also wondered if you or any of the ones who have commented have a Kindle. I have been seriously considering buying me one and wondered how people liked them. I buy alot of my books from Amazon and it would sure be nice to have them on a Kindle instead of having all the books to deal with. I share alot of my books with ladies at church (we have a little library started actually) so not sure the Kindle is the way to go or not.
I have added some of the books mentioned here to my wish list on Amazon. Got such a huge stack of books on my night stand right now that it will be awhile before I need to order any new books.
Another book that I have bought was The Reader. I actually haven’t read it yet but I watched the movie. It had a lot of nudity in it but the story line was very interesting and involved a trial of a woman who was in charge of holocaust women. You might check it out as well.
@AmericanJanet - I found that book inspirational b/c of her happy attitude. I also thought it was so sweet that she took her little daughter along on her adventures. I have some quotes written down in my day journal.
I found a book similarto that one, at a bookstore at Garden of the Gods, when R and I went to Colorado last fall. It’s titled A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, by Isabella L Bird. (She was an English woman, travelling alone on horseback, in 1873). It’s very good and made my heart sing, to read of her satisfaction in nature and her adventures in travel.
Hi Janet, getting caught up on xanga… I am a city girl, but I could definitely enjoy a country visit with you!!
I am glad I came across your blog today! I have been trying to find a good book to read lately. I also enjoy memoirs and I needed some good suggestions. I will hit the local library soon. I also ready the Glass Castle and felt those same feelings as you. I could not put it down, it hit home for me in many ways.. Sorry to say. Have a blessed day!