MADreads

Listen to your father

August 7th, 2006 Lisa - Central

Always looking for something to inspire me to greater heights (depths?) of creativity, I stumbled across The Treehouse: Eccentric Wisdom from My Father on How to Live, Love, and See by Naomi Wolf.  Known for her political and feminist writings (Beauty Myth, Promiscuities), Wolf has written a touching book/memoir that centers on her quirky, lovely father, Leonard.  She enfolds her story into diary-like entries of a summers worth of visits to a dilapidated house she bought in Boston Corners, New York.  Her mission is to fix it up, simplify her life and build her daughter a treehouse.  Knowing she will not be able to build the treehouse on her own, she asks for her dad’s help.  How many grownups have been here?  Even though she needs his help, she finds it difficult to open herself to his lessons.

But Leonard, through Naomi’s eyes, is the most gentle, open, accepting and wise person ever.  A poet and professor at a multitude of universities, Leonard perfected a series of 12 lessons for his students.  While they apply to writers and poets, these lessons also speak to the creator in everyone.  Which makes sense, as Leonard believes everyone is a creator.

Some of the lessons
Do Nothing Without Passion
Speak in Your Own Voice
Your Only Wage Will be Joy

He’s kind of inspiring.  And his lessons, coupled with Naomi’s musings about flowers planted and blooming, rooms cleaned and painted, make for a pleasurable read.  So now, not only do I want to be more creative, I want to move into Naomi’s house.

Entry Filed under: Memoir & Biography