Posts filed under 'Memoir & Biography'
Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg is an intriguing book about the uncovering of family secrets. His mother, Beth, often spoke about how she grew up as an only child. After her death, he discovers that she had a sister who was institutionalized at the age of 19; his mother was 21 at the time. Beth had grown up with a sister named Annie who was born with a deformed leg and mental challenges. But no one in Steve’s immediate family knew that Annie had existed.
Tracking down information about Annie proves very difficult. Slowly, he manages to locate court records that hint at the decades of struggle his mother’s family went through. In telling Annie’s story, Luxenberg also delves into the history of America’s mental institutions and psychiatric care. At times, these digressions seem a bit long, but they highlight the point that Annie’s tragic story, and the silence surrounding it, are far from unique. A poignant aspect of Annie’s story is that the photo on the book’s cover was chosen by the publisher; Luxenberg scoured photo albums saved by relatives, and the families that lived his grandparent’s neighborhood, but no photo of Annie exists.
Luxenberg also pieces together not only Annie’s story, but the story of his mother’s deception. When did Beth start claiming to be an only child? Did she mention Annie to anyone later in life? Ultimately, he struggles to reconcile his memories of a loving mother who taught her children the value of honesty with a woman who turned her back on her sister and lived a lie.
The book also interested me as a story of genealogy research. Perhaps a lot of your family’s records are handwritten, like mine. After reading this book, you might look at those lists of names and wonder - is anyone missing?
February 17th, 2010
Amy
Two of the all-time best tennis players have recently released autobiographies and the stories of their beginnings could not be more different. Serena Williams, author of On the Line and Andre Agassi, author of Open: An Autobiography both started tennis at a very young age, and were instructed by their fathers, using very different methods. That’s where the similarities end. Williams portrays her early tutoring as endless fun, with the entire family involved in learning and drilling on the public courts in a dangerous area of Compton, California. Agassi, on the other hand, describes his early instruction from his father as torturous and brutal. Perhaps because of her upbringing,
Williams seems to unreservedly love everything about tennis, while Agassi is very clear about hating it for most of his career and unsparing in his descriptions of the personal toll the life that he did not choose took on him.
Agassi is by far the more introspective and honest in his depiction of his past, while Williams is upbeat and uncritical. On the Line reveals very little new personal information (at least for diehard Serena fans). Richard Williams, or “Daddy” is not the controversial person depicted in the press, but instead a loving and skilled coach and father. Williams rarely talks about her emotions and does not seem interested in contemplating her past.
Andre Agassi is not afraid to reveal unflattering incidents in his life: among other things, his experimentation with drugs and his short and unhappy first marriage are covered in great detail. And while Serena speaks glowingly of the Bolletieri Tennis Academy, Agassi, who was a resident, has an entirely different view. In fact, Agassi could be considered by some standards to be an abused child, although he probably would not agree. He doesn’t always present himself as very likeable, and sometimes judges his own actions quite harshly. Tellingly, he does not want his own children to play tennis professionally.
Serena’s many fans will no doubt love her book; but anyone looking for a more indepth and truthful description of the pro tennis tour should read Agassi’s book. There are common themes in both of their stories: both fought back after dropping out of the tennis rankings, both met Nelson Mandella at different times, and both are funding schools, Williams in Africa and Agassi in Las Vegas.
Any list of recent tennis books must also include Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal and the Greatest Match Ever Played by L. Jon Wertheim. Although it is not autobiographical, Wertheim has a lot of information about both of the players, as well as about the preparation and skill involved in a major tennis match, this one the very impressive final at Wimbledon in 2008. Along with Agassi’s book, this is a must read for fans of professional tennis.
January 5th, 2010
Mary K. - Central
The other night I stayed up way too late reading a book. Not unusual in and of itself but it was what I was reading that surprised me. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen is a memoir of going home. Memoirs aren’t usually my thing but I had brought Janzen’s memoir home because I’m always trying to branch out and it had been getting some buzz. Well earned buzz in my opinion.
Rhoda Janzen is a married professor living in Michigan who is hit with a double whammy. First her husband leaves her for Bob - a man he met on gay.com - and then she is in a car accident that leaves her temporarily in a wheelchair. What’s a forty-something woman to do? Return home of course. And that’s just what Rhoda does. Rhoda’s return home is similar to what any of us would experience and vastly different. You see Rhoda was raised in a Mennonite household and community in California. What follows is an honest and affectionate and funny and thought-provoking (both for Rhoda and the reader) examination of her own life and how she got to this point.
As much as I loved the writing and the appealing tone, the best surprise of all for me was what wasn’t in the book. I feared as I started this memoir that this would be one of those “returning to the simpler life made me realize how empty and shallow my professional life is” trajectories. Thankfully it was not. Instead it is an exploration of where she’s been and how it affects where she’s going without judging either as a better (or worse) way of living. She pokes snarky fun at her Mennonite upbringing (borscht soup in her lunchbox!) but does so with a real appreciation of what that life gave her.
Janzen’s writing style is beautifully simple. Though she is a poet by profession and inclination, as you read it feels like she’s telling you the story while you sit together over lunch. So well worth the very late night.
**A New Year, a new decade and a milestone reached! This post is our 1000th post on MADreads. Thanks to all the reviewers and the readers who keep the blog going.
January 2nd, 2010
Jane J. - Central Library
Sure, being a parent is hard work–but it’s not impossible. Like any job, however, it really helps to show up. The parents of Oran Canfield–author of Long Past Stopping—had trouble with that part of the job description. Oran’s dad left home when Oran was one and his mom was pregnant with Oran’s brother. The dad is Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series (I’m choosing not to link this title).
Usually, a kid can withstand having one deadbeat parent–Oran had two. Oran’s mom is a therapist and unable to care for the kids (I’m still unclear why), choosing instead to farm the kids out to 1960s activists and unconventional boarding schools every chance she gets. She’s pretty much absent throughout the book and, when Oran was 9(!!!!), she sent him to join the circus (again–!!!!).
Oran started drinking when he was 8, had his first acid trip at 14 (with Jerry Garcia’s daughter) and became a heroin addict soon after. It’s not surprising that Oran became a drug addict. What’s amazing is that he’s still alive.
Oran writes hilariously and without self-pity about his countless trips in and out of rehab. Here’s Oran’s take on his dad’s books: “I had always thought that his whole self-help schtick was a racket, but his new book exceeded the limits of what I thought was possible in terms of sheer vapidity.” I’m with Oran. One of Jack’s 2007 titles is Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul. Seriously. And, if vapidity’s what you’re after, check out Jack’s website.
I should mention that Oran’s father did pay for much of Oran’s rehab. I guess that’s something, but the way I see it–too little, too late pal.
By the end of the book—great news–Oran is drug free and has begun to have a relationship with his dad. “For the first time,” Oran writes, “I’m actually able to see that they really were doing the best they could . . . I’m sick of hating them.” Good for Oran. I applaud his attitude and truly hope that a revived relationship with his parents helps him stay healthy. Personally, I’ve got no time for Jack Canfield or his books (according to Jack’s Wikipedia entry, the Chicken Soup for the Soul series was among the top 150 best-selling books of the last 15 years–go figure). After reading about Jack’s continued and extensive disregard of his children as he concentrated solely on his own needs, amassing enormous wealth from publishing tripe, I’m even off soup.
My re-cap: Read Long Past Stopping. It’s a touching, funny, and well-written memoir. If your soul requires chicken soup, however, you’d be better served by the variety that comes in a bowl.
December 16th, 2009
Terry - Central
…got married and had three kids, Stefanie Wilder-Taylor (SWT) was quite the wild woman. In her latest memoir It’s Not Me, It’s You she fills us in on her younger years in a way reminsicent of my favorite stand-up comedian CH (in fact CH’s back of the book blurb prompted the checkout). A former television writer for shows like Blind Date (a personal favorite and yes it’s still on) this isn’t SWT’s first tell all memoir, she’s written two others about motherhood. It seems like she wrote this one with a busy mom in mind, by organizing the book into eighteen easy to read chapters it’s just enough pages for the time between a feeding or a diaper change. Here are a few highlights of the stories in It’s Not Me, It’s You and just a heads up, most of the vignettes are r-rated.
Oh where to start with SWT’s crazy adventures. How about when she gets to L.A., was promised a couch to crash on, is locked out of her friend’s mothers’ apartment during the day, finds herself invited to a makeshift buddhist temple and subsequently ends up being stalked by its’ members? Or maybe when she starts a telemarketing job and finds out the “conference” she’s supposed to attend that weekend in Vegas is clothing optional? And really, how is SWT supposed to get by after her credit cards are confiscated by her mother? Like any other resourceful 20-year-old in sunny L.A. she tries out for a game show. Let’s hope she still has the VHS tape of her appearance on Hollywood Squares (she wins a car) for her children to laugh at one day. Peppered in between these hilarious outtakes of her new L.A. life is some background about her less than peachy Jewish upbringing in Forest Hills, NJ. Daughter of a counselor and an aspiring comedian, SWT struggled with bulimia and binge drinking throughout her teens. Reading these sobering details makes SWT sound like the crazy cousin that you always hear about at family gatherings who may or may not make it out of her twenties alive or in jail.
Not to give too much away, but SWT does survive and even ends up meeting her Prince Charming (in a prehistoric AOL chat room.) Married with three daughters now, a recent NYT piece talks about her decision to lay off the liquor in efforts to be a better mother. Let’s just hope she doesn’t have any extra copies of this book lying around when those kids grow up, otherwise they are going to know waaaay too much information about the “old Mom.”
December 2nd, 2009
Katharine - Sequoya
Dave Egger’s 1999 memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius chronicled his life while taking care of his younger brother Christopher “Toph” Eggers following the cancer-related deaths of his parents. Eggers has since gone far beyond the personal narrative and into the chaotic world outside himself. In his 2006 book What Is The What (reviewed here by Lisa), Eggers tells the painful true-life account of a Sudanese war refugee who was a member of the Lost Boys of Sudan. He then went on to use the book’s profits to organize a human rights organization named after the book’s main character. Now, in his most recent book, Zeitoun, Eggers tells the story of Hurricane Katrina through the intimate lens of the Zeitoun family who are long time residents. And as with his last book, all proceeds from the book go the Zeitoun Foundation, a human rights organization that aids in the rebuilding of New Orleans.
In Zeitoun, Eggers introduces Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a middle-aged Syrian-American and the owner of a successful painting and contracting firm in New Orleans. His wife and business partner, Kathy, comes from a Southern Baptist family who later coverted to Islam after her first failed marriage. The Zeitouns have four children and live in the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans. The story starts out two days before the storm arrives when the city is full of mounting tensions and residents are madly fleeing their homes. Kathy decides to leave with the children and go to Baton Rouge and later Phoenix while Zeitoun, as usual, decides to stay in the city to watch over their own home and other properties.
After a relatively standard post-storm Day 1, by Day 2 it is ominously clear to Zeitoun that the city’s levees have failed and the city is completely overrun with water. After saving what he could of his own family’s valuables, Zeitoun then takes to his 16-foot aluminum canoe and paddles around New Orleans witnessing the spectacle and saving elderly and dehydrated residents trapped in rotting, destroyed houses. Filled with an increasing sense of purpose, Zeitoun’s determination to save lives and help those less fortunate becomes more intense as the waters become more polluted and as the violence and chaos of the city deepens.
The book takes a turn when six armed officers show up at one of Zeitoun’s properties and take he and two others into custody for unclear reasons except possibly accused armed robbery. This then proceeds into a harrowing account of the government mistaking Zeitoun for a terrorist and subjecting him to a series of humiliations including full body searches, forced entrapment in a wire cage at makeshift Camp Greyhound, and finally being transferred to a real prison outside of New Orleans. And all the while, he is kept from making a call to his wife.
In telling this true account, Eggers’ style (much like in What Is The What) is amazingly simple and unadorned. There are no political soapboxes or rants whatsoever, just strictly a show-not-tell style of narrative that almost makes the reader believe he was simply transcribing word for word what the Zeitouns told him about their nightmarish experiences post- Hurricane Katrina. The results are poignant and disturbing and unabashedly clear.
November 20th, 2009
Kathleen - Monroe Street
Judging from David Small’s award-winning children’s books illustrations, it’s hard to imagine that the same man is behind the dark tale recounted in the graphic novel memoir Stitches. Best known for his work with wife Sarah Stewart and his Caldecott Award-winning artwork in So You Want to be President?, Stitches reveals a painful past, yet one that Small somehow weaves a sense of hopefulness through with his art.
It’s no easy feat. Small grew up in postwar Detroit, the son of an oft-absent radiologist and an emotionally cold mother. A sickly boy with sinus problems, his father treated him with repeated doses of x-ray radiation. By the time he was in his early teens, Small had a lump on his throat that had developed into full-blown cancer, although his parents made a point of never telling him the true nature, or cause, of his condition. Waking up after an operation, Small discovers that not only does he have an ugly row of stitches down his neck, but one of his vocal chords was entirely removed. He was almost completely mute.
Small always found solace in drawing as a child, and his ink-washed artwork captures an extraordinary range of emotions, especially in capturing the subtleties of facial expressions. His use of lighting to strategically shade features and the inclusion of nightmare sequences lends a quasi-Hitchcockian cast to the story. It’s apt for this very internal story, filled with the effects of repression and silence.
Stitches was recently nominated for the National Book Award in the Young People’s Category, a choice that has generated some controversy given the dark subject matter, and the fact that graphic novels rarely get recognition by major awards. It is a haunting story, but there’s nothing that would be objectionable in Small’s story compared to many other modern-day young adult novels. In fact, anyone who hasn’t picked up a graphic novel may find Stitches to be the perfect way to get into the genre. Along with recent graphic memoirs such as Fun Home and Blankets, Stitches demonstrates brilliantly how image and text can blend into a powerful, captivating experience.
(Publisher’s Weekly article via Powell’s)
November 17th, 2009
Katie H.
When I first picked up The Art of Making Money I thought, “Great. Probably one of those Suze Orman books and I’ll be chastised for buying another latte.” (According to Suze Buzzkill, my coffee purchases may be impeding my retirement plans). But, reading further, I note the second part of the title–The Story of a Master Counterfeiter. Hmmm. Now they got my attention.
Part memoir, part true crime and written by Jason Kersten, it’s about Art Williams, a maverick counterfeiter from Chicago. The story begins with Art’s childhood in a dysfunctional (natch) family. Art’s father, a small-time crook, abandoned the family when Williams was 11. His mother, diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia, is unable to look after their three kids. The family ends up on welfare in Bridgeport, on Chicago’s south side, amidst guns, drugs and gangs. Williams begins breaking into parking meters and is soon supporting the family by stealing cars. He then graduates to robbing local drug dealers. At this point, the fun has really just begun and Williams is 13 and we’re only on chapter 3.
Art’s mother’s boyfriend (a.k.a. Da Vinci) takes Art under his wing, introducing him to a future in counterfeiting. After Da Vinci disappears (presumably at the hands of a disgruntled client) Art is left to fine tune his talent on his own. He does so, taking his career onto a new level by using the newest technology available, coming up with a c-note, (I like to throw the lingo around) a hundred dollar bill so perfect, even law enforcement have trouble telling it from the real thing.
Art’s inevitable downfall stems from his inability to follow Da Vinci’s simple instructions–first, do not spend the notes yourself, and secondly, never spend them close to home. Art’s final undoing, however, is a result of visiting his father in Alaska. In a moment of weakness and, one can only think, an effort to finally win dear old dad’s approval, Art lets his dad in on the business. Art Senior wants a piece of the free money action but can’t follow the rules either.
If I was casting the movie, which is currently in the works, I’d put Johnny Depp in the lead role and Ray Liotta as the deadbeat dad. While you wait for the film, however, slap down some legal tender, get yourself a big old latte and enjoy this page turner. Sure, it may not expedite your retirement or improve your investment portfolio, but take solace in the fact that the feds aren’t chasing you. And then there’s all that money you’re saving by getting your stuff from the library.
November 13th, 2009
Terry - Central
Sometimes you really do need to give a book a little more time. The prologue of Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman’s Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado really lost me. I understand that the author was trying to set up her lifelong love of sweets, but this chapter was kinda weird. She remembers back to a Christmas spent in Austria and how the holiday stockings were delivered by a raggedy St. Nikolaus and his demon sidekick, Krampus. I may, in fact, have nightmares about this. I thought I was getting into chocolate chip cookies and some Hollywood style hissy fits. I wasn’t prepared at all for the Krampus.
But continuing on to chapter one I get exactly what I want: a memoir of why a successful Hollywood executive (and sister of famous actress Sandra Bullock) would want to pack it all up and leave for Vermont to open a bakery. We also get some kick ass recipes. I am committing the recipe for Golden Eggs to memory. It is that good. Vanilla cake with a sugar and cinnamon coating that makes it taste like a donut. Mmmmm.
Each chapter is set up with a title and time, the time corresponding to what time of day certain events happen in the life of a baker. Example, 3:00 a.m. wake up. 4:00 a.m. arrival at the bakery and convection oven preheating. 5:00 a.m. tart filling. You get the idea. Each chapter also contains memories, insight and recipes. I love, love, love this. Gesine’s mother is German and a lot of the recipes and memories are inspired by the treats Gesine ate growing up in Germany as well as family traditions carried on after moving to the U.S., which is fascinating stuff. Having grown up eating apfelkuchen myself, this was very enjoyable reading. But I will not lie to you, I almost hung it up after the Krampus chapter. I’m still a little freaked out.
So it’s a good thing I have a new carrot cake recipe to test that calls for nine pounds of butter! Well, not quite, but all of the recipes included in this book have full-fat, real ingredients. Totally worth it! That’s what baking is all about! I was this close to planning a trip to Montpelier, VT, to visit Gesine Confectionary & Gourmet Market, but it looks like they closed up shop and Gesine is preparing to open a new bakery in Austin, TX. I will keep my eye out for that one. And in case you’re wondering, it’s Geh-see-neh.
October 26th, 2009
Molly - Central
“Another memoir?” my husband responded when he asked me what I was reading and I answered the same way I often do . Yes, it’s true. I can’t seem to get enough of these true stories of coming of age, falling in love, heartbreak, despair, addiction, and every other wonderful or horrible thing that happens every day to regular people. Happens Every Day: An All-Too-True story is no great departure from the tried-and-true formula for memoirs of heartbreak: seemingly perfect life, perhaps a few cracks in the relationship or signs of trouble, followed by a shocking discovery/confession.
Author Isabel Gillies does lead a seemingly perfect life. She and her family have recently moved into a beautiful, old house in Oberlin, Ohio where her husband is a poetry professor. Gillies starts a part-time teaching job in the theatre department, oversees renovations on her old home, and is a full-time mother of two young boys. Her perfect life is turned upside-down when her husband abruptly announces that he no longer wants to be married to her. Gillies is not only shocked and heartbroken but also completely unwilling and certainly not ready to end her marriage. She attempts to work things out with her husband, but it’s clear very early on that he doesn’t want to be married… at least, not to her.
Like Split: A Memoir of Divorce and I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, two other engaging memoirs that deal with breakups and heartbreak, Happens Every Day is an enjoyable read first and foremost because Gillies knows how to get to the point. She may not be the greatest writer (in fact she was an actress first) but she manages to charmingly and succinctly describe her family, her marriage, her job, and her town in such a way that I truly was drawn to her story. Additionally she comletely manages to avoid self-pity and extreme negativity, a huge feat in itself. Finally, for those of you who prefer not to read a completely depressing memoir, this is the one for you!
October 9th, 2009
Mary - Lakeview
Jeffrey Zaslow is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal. One of his columns was about lifelong friendships that seem to exist primarily among women. The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship evolved from the responses he received, including one from the Ames group. The 10 women who were friends in high school (there were 11, but one died) and graduated in 1981 are now scattered throughout the country They have a reunion every year. Zaslow was invited to attend, and uses this time to update us on their current and past live. They have had tragedies, challenges and successes.
It is hard to describe exactly why this was a disappointing read. The 10 “girls”, now in their forties, seem personable enough and are very successful in their adult lives. And author Jeffrey Zalow (co-author of The Last Lecture), has a lot of facts about them, their childhoods in Ames and their lives since graduation. Perhaps the fact that Zaslow has all the details of their lives might be part of the problem. He is good at reporting but not as good at conveying feeling and emotions. Also for the most part these are ordinary middle class lives, and even though they are often eventful and rewarding, they are not that interesting to read about. A more general book about women’s friendships and how rewarding long term, life-long friendships can be would have been more interesting. Anyone else have a different response to the book?
September 26th, 2009
Mary K. - Central
It seems like Carol Tyler has been kicking around the comics scene since it was referred to as the underground comics scene. In the last few years, she’s turned her attention to the full-length graphic novel. Her latest, You’ll Never Know: A Graphic Memoir begins to tell the story of her father, Chuck Tyler, in words and pictures, with an effort to tell about his time in the army during World War II, as well as her life growing up with him and later with her own family.
Growing up it seems neither Chuck– nor most of the men of his generation who had served– spent much time talking about the war or their experiences. Even the photographs and souvenirs they kept were seldom spoken of, although they were kept and preserved with something like reverence. Carol had tried at various times to get her father to answer questions about the war, only to have him forcefully reject the overtures. Then, one night, forty years after the war, he calls her on the phone and spends two hours talking about the war. The phrase “rivers of blood” fairly leaps off of the page.
It’s a beautifully and cleverly done book, with some charming and imaginative illustrative and narrative techniques that cleverly glide from one era to another using overlapping dialogue and scenes that evolve. A really terrific piece of craftsmanship, it jumps nimbly between eras separated now by almost seventy years. It’s a fairly large-format book, with a cover suggesting it’s been made out of plywood, a sly salute to the working-class, can-do man that was her father. This particular volume is titled Book one: A Good and Decent Man. Her story of her father’s time in the army has only taken him to the shores of north Africa so far. Still, to come: Italy, France, and finally Germany. I’ll certainly be reading any future volumes that come out. But there’s more than a little trepidation about what will eventually be revealed.
At times charming and enthralling, and at other times emotionally wrenching, the story so far leads only to the edge of the war Chuck Tyler experienced. The title, “You’ll never know” appears in the lyrics of a love song from the era and it’s a sweet counterpoint to the scenes where young Chuck is wooing Carol’s mother on the dance floor. But it also hints at the dark side of the war (every war) that never seems to be revealed. Like Carol, I want to know her father’s story, but I’m more than a little afraid of what I’ll find out. The book’s title suggests a many-layered truth, not just about this one man, but about war itself.
If you’re interested in finding out more about author Carol Tyler, her website is here and there are numerous links to newspaper and magazine articles exploring her work as a teacher in the expanding field of “sequential art” (i.e. comics).
September 22nd, 2009
Dennis - Central
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