Life in the Slow Lane

Contemplating life, faith, words, and memories

A Collection of Mini Memoir Reviews — April 26, 2022

A Collection of Mini Memoir Reviews

It has been a while since I’ve posted reviews of memoirs I’ve read. Perhaps the most efficient way to catch up is to present them as shorter reviews. I hope the shorter format will be helpful in highlighting for you three of my favorites.

Remember, one of the best pieces of advice for those writing memoirs is to read the work of others sharing their life stories.

Trove by Sandra Miller, Memoir, Truth, Buried TreasureSandra Miller‘s memoir, Trove: A Woman’s Search for Truth and Buried Treasure, is a National Book Award Winner. A reviewer might feel inclined to let that honor stand as its review. But you need to know that Miller’s search for buried treasure isn’t all about a large chest filled with gold.

Miller’s writing is colloquial and thus allows you to feel like you are sitting over coffee or tea chatting with a friend. As a result, Trove is hard to put down. Miller’s words are honest and heartfelt while filled with courage and authenticity. I found myself cheering her on in her search for the feeling we have all experienced at one time or another in our lives—the feeling of regret and confusion in middle age. This is one memoir that I have kept on my shelf of favorites. I highly recommend it.

 


Marcia Butler is the author of The Skin Above My Knee. She is also a  professional oboist and has played with many world-renowned orchestras and symphonies. And yet Butler has led a life filled with stresses in her childhood home resulting from a detached mother and an abusive father. The oboe represents her lifeline to sanity as she moves through other difficult relationships and bad choices.

Through her truthful narrative, Butler shows how music can offer the benefits of healing and strengthening the human soul.

My favorite line from Butler’s memoir is: “You love to feel stable within music’s velvety language.”

An inspiring story that shouldn’t be missed.

 


Anderson Cooper, Gloria Vanderbilt, Memoir, Life, Love, Loss


I rarely purchase memoirs written by celebrities, but the first few words of the synopsis of Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt‘s The Rainbow Comes and Goes persuaded me to take a deeper look:

“A touching and intimate correspondence between Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, offers timeless wisdom and a revealing glimpse into their lives.”

The correspondence referenced here happened as the result of a busy man and his 91-year-old mother agreeing to change their relationship by committing to a year-long conversation. This agreement came about following a brief but serious illness experienced by Vanderbilt.

One could describe their letters as a son’s love letters to his mother and a mother’s life lessons to her son. This memoir is beautiful and affectionate as well as a truthful celebration of life. A must-read!

 


These three memoirs have been waiting in the wings far too long. It is my pleasure to offer you good writing examples, perhaps even different formats such as that used by Cooper and Vanderbilt in sharing their story. All of these books can be found on Goodreads.

Happy reading and writing,

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Featured Image Attribution: Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay

Note: Please see Disclosures for information regarding any links from which you might purchase a book or other materials.

Jumping Over Shadows: A Memoir by Annette Gendler | Review — February 12, 2020

Jumping Over Shadows: A Memoir by Annette Gendler | Review

I can’t remember what took me to Annette Gendler’s blog. But I would hazard a guess it had to do with writing, memoir, and/or creative nonfiction. Whatever the topic, Gendler’s site is where I learned of her memoir, Jumping Over Shadows: A Memoir. Gendler shares the complex story and many sacrifices made in a marriage between a Catholic and a Jew.
 

Jumping Over Shadows, memoir, Annette Gendler, life story, reviewGendler uses her great-aunt’s story of marrying a Jewish man during World War II to tell her story. Aunt Resi bravely defied tradition. However, her marriage did not survive the war.

Gendler and the man she loved feared losing each other. So, they kept their relationship a secret for three years. Gendler went about learning all she could about Judaism. In the end, she made her own spiritual choice, conversion to Judaism. Not only was the choice hers and hers alone, but it also led the family of the man she loves to accept her.

 
Gendler’s memoir provides an excellent example of showing how to move between generational stories. It isn’t always easy to move back and forth when writing, but Gendler provides a perfect model.
 
The title selection for this memoir is another good lesson for writers. Jumping Over Shadows is not only the title but is also what Gendler and the love of her life did during their secret relationship. They “jumped over shadows” left behind by previous generations. In Gendler’s memoir, she describes how familial understanding and acceptance were achieved. Gendler and her husband jumped from generation to generation (i.e. shadows) to find harmony. This allowed them to form the foundation for a happy marriage.
 
I also recommend following Gendler’s blog.

Annette GendlerAnnette Gendler is an author, writing instructor, blogger, and photographer. Since 2006, she has taught memoir writing at StoryStudio Chicago. Her newest book, How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History, is based on one of her workshops, which I have also taught at the American Writers Museum in Chicago, the Hemingway Birthplace Home in Oak Park, GrubStreet in Boston, WriteSpace Jerusalem as well as the Festival of Faith and Writing in Grand Rapids.

Her essays have appeared in many journals, and links can be found under Writing on her website. Her photography has been featured in Bella Grace Magazine and Artful Blogging. In 2014-15 Gendler had the privilege of serving as writer-in-residence at the Hemingway Birthplace Home in Oak Park, Illinois.

Follow her on Twitter @AnnetteGendler

 


Disclosures: For policies regarding affiliate links, please click here.
Just the Way He Walked: A Mother’s Story of Healing and Hope by Kathy Pooler | A Review — November 19, 2019

Just the Way He Walked: A Mother’s Story of Healing and Hope by Kathy Pooler | A Review

It was just the way he walked, with that self-assured, cocky stance that said he

was in control. Or was it his ready smile and quick wit that reminded me

of his father? Vern’s comment made me realize that Brian was

not just another normal kid, like Vern’s kids were.

He was Ed’s son. It was just the way he walked.

Just the Way He WalksIn her second memoir, Kathy Pooler tackles two difficult issues in her life. She refers to poor personal choices made in her marital life. These choices affected not only the author but also the lives of her children, Brian and Leigh Ann. Here she tells the story of her son Brian’s addiction and her simultaneous battle with cancer. It is a love story, one filled with hope and healing.
Concerned about Brian’s addiction, Pooler worries Brian will end up like his father, Ed. This is a common worry among parents of children in a marriage or partnership with an addicted partner. But how to watch and
help turn a person away from what another presents as normal?
Pooler tries as hard as a parent can try to help Brian, but we all know the various emotional stages of growth. The “I’m wholly knowledgeable” teen years, the “I’m an adult now” years, and the “I don’t need you in my life any more” years. How does a single parent cope with knowing a child is struggling with addiction of any type? Coping with this problem alone is difficult, as Pooler shares in Just the Way He Walked. She holds back nothing.
The strength of her faith is a bolster for her hopes and desires to help Brian. Helpful is a stepfather willing to step up and help Pooler with both battles. Pooler shows how at times we have to let someone step in to help through strengths we may not have. She shares her use of journaling, belief in prayer, and strong faith—a powerful toolbox.
Pooler’s memoir is well written. Her story is written with others in mind trying to help a family member or friend struggling with addiction. Descriptions of her emotions are honest and painful for the reader. But, we must expect reality to shine through in a tough story such as this.
In the synopsis of Just the Way He Walked, Pooler shares the goal in writing this book:

The message of resilience and faith in the face of insurmountable odds serves

as a testament to what is possible when one dares to hope.

I recommend Just the Way He Walked to those looking for the hope of helping an addict to turn his or her life around.
It is rare that I give a 5-star rating to books I review. Yet, often I make exceptions as I have done with Pooler’s new memoir. It is indeed a 5-star book.

Disclosures:
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review and nothing more. Opinions expressed here are solely mine.
For policies regarding affiliate links, please click here.

A Happy Truth: Last Dogs Aren’t Always Last by D.A. Hickman | Review — November 5, 2019

A Happy Truth: Last Dogs Aren’t Always Last by D.A. Hickman | Review

Caring for them is also a gift in disguise; it’s not optional.

Their needs can motivate and inspire us to keep moving.

Keep breathing, at a minimum.

Daisy Hickman shares with readers once again her gift of lyrical prose. In A Happy Truth: Last Dogs Aren’t Always Last, the story emerges as if she paints with a fine brush in delicate colors. Hickman’s story unfolds as one filled with immense love among dogs, cats, and humans.
 
A Happy Truth, memoir, animals, people who love animals,This fascinating story drew on my imagination to the exclusion of the outside world. It was as if I quietly sat in the midst of the storytelling and watched the story unfold. Animal lovers will discover a sense of magic in these pages. And not-yet animal lovers may be converted.
 
Hickman shares stories of a variety of pets. Some finding her family. Family searching for the “right” pet. Traveling in the middle of the night with ill companions, and walking with happy dogs. Each example brought me close to home and evoked memories I had not considered for some time.
 
Growing up with dogs, I related to stories of energetic puppies alongside older dogs. Often the older ones showed patience with their newly chosen younger family members. Since my marriage some 38 years ago, cats have become the animal to share our lives. Currently, we enjoy the antics of two cats; yet, over time we’ve loved and nurtured three others.
 
Hickman shares bits of wisdom about the love and care afforded to our animal family members. Often, out of the blue, she asks her readers a question, and I found myself answering many of them. In other words, you, the reader, become the author’s companion as she tells her story.
We talk to our pets, doesn’t everyone?
I recommend this book to anyone who loves animals. Readers considering adding an animal may find it helpful. And those readers looking for a beautiful story to read will be delighted.
 
A Happy Truth will make an exceptional gift to someone on their birthday or at any other time.
 
Thank you, Daisy Hickman, for this beautiful example of what we can learn from our animal friends. 
Some people doubt that animals and emotions coexist, but it seems

we would have to be slightly oblivious to overlook the

endless and poignant ways in which they try to share

their understanding, awareness, and generous affection with us.


Disclosures:
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review and nothing more. Opinions expressed here are solely mine.
For policies regarding affiliate links, please click here.
This Particular Happiness: A Childless Love Story by Jackie Shannon Hollis | A Review — September 11, 2019

This Particular Happiness: A Childless Love Story by Jackie Shannon Hollis | A Review

In society today, we celebrate the label “mother” more than any other label given to women. To decide against being a mother seems foreign and strange to many of our culture.
 
This Particular Happiness, memoir, Jackie Shannon Hollis, childlessness, bookBut Jackie Shannon Hollis chose between her husband’s love and childlessness. She writes about her choice in This Particular Happiness: A Childless Love Story. Hollis opens the door on her own feelings and emotions at play in making this decision.
 
When Hollis and her husband attend a family gathering, she is the only woman in the group without a child. Making such a decision doesn’t mean we don’t look back and wonder if it was the right choice. Hollis had moments and days when she wondered this very thing. Past relationships played a role in both Hollis’s feelings and those of the man she married.
 
Over time, Hollis talked with her husband about the possibilities of having children. She felt as if she were missing something, but not with certainty what it was. Yet, their discussions never altered their decisions.
 
Hollis offers her readers an opportunity to experience pressures and tensions from others. A couple’s choices, such as childlessness, bring out family and friends with opinions. This is a suitable book for individuals considering childlessness. It provides an overview of certain issues that may come up in conversation with others.
 
Hollis is authentic in revealing this tender and emotional time in her life. Bringing this book into the public arena took courage on the part of both Hollis and her husband, Bill.
 
This memoir is well written and structured. The story unfolds with each chapter and in a timely fashion. Hollis’s voice is strong and bold. She paints a detailed description of her feelings.

My thanks to Jackie Shannon Hollis and Forest Avenue Press for providing an Advance Reader’s Copy to me in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are solely mine.

This Particular Happiness: A Childless Love Story will be available on October 1, 2019. Preorder your copy here.

 

 

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