Down with Summer Reading!: 19 Memoirs for the Recovery Crowd
By Lauren Gilbert, Lynne C. Maxwell & Therese Purcell NielsenJun 14, 2010
This batch of late spring and early summer memoirs will make the down-with-summer-reading crowd very happy, indeed. Recovery-from all manner of diseases and addictions-is the operative word here. Bless repeat reviewers Lauren Gilbert, Therese Purcell Nielsen, and Lynne Maxwell for taking on these stories when they could've been reading, um, The Passage. A new feature this go is a thematic organization, which we hope makes it easier to identify books of interest to your patrons.-Heather McCormack
Recovery
Cardella, Avis. Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict. Little, Brown. 2010. c.272p. ISBN 978-0-316-03560-6. $23.99. MEMOIR
From childhood, Cardella had been entranced by fashion magazines advertising extravagantly expensive outfits by the designers du jour. Eventually, fashion became more than a spectator sport, as she began to spend her way into a glamorous world-and massive debt. Moreover, wealthy men encouraged and subsidized her addiction. Frightened, alone, and in financial distress, she confronted and conquered her addiction, learning to embrace a simple, authentic life. A warning of the seductive spell of consumerism and its cultural origins.-L.M.
Clegg, Bill. Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man. Little, Brown. Jun. 2010. c.240p. ISBN 978-0-316-05467-6. $23.95. MEMOIR
Clegg bears little resemblance to James Joyce's Stephen Dedalus, despite his invocation of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. A literary agent with a talent for writing, Clegg makes his mark in this recounting of his crack addiction. Well educated, successful, and blessed with a supportive partner, he nonetheless succumbed to the siren song of the drug. Within several months, he hit the bottom. Clegg's eloquent rendition of his struggle and ultimate triumph is poignant and pointed. A consummate cautionary tale certain to appeal to fans of Augusten Burroughs. [See Virginia Stanley's take on Clegg's book in this issue's Book Cheer column.-Ed.]-L.M.
Makin, Nancy. 703: How I Lost More Than a Quarter Ton and Gained a Life. Dutton. 2010. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-525-95137-7. $25.95. MEMOIR
The 703 referred to in the title of this compelling memoir was actually the author's original weight before she transformed herself with the assistance of technology. Although her poor health and shame about her obesity fostered isolation, the gift of a computer liberated her. Thanks to her cyberfriends and her online sense of identity forged without reference to physical characteristics, Makin began to accept herself, which led to increased confidence and phenomenal weight loss. A remarkable chronicle of recovery from the solitary prison of physical and mental disabilities.
Readalike: Readers of Kim Bensen's Finally Thin: How I Lost 200 Pounds.-L.M.
*Morrissoe, Patricia. Wide Awake: A Memoir of Insomnia. Spiegel & Grau. 2010. c.288p. ISBN 978-0-385-52224-3. $25. MEMOIR
Journalist and biographer Morrissoe has suffered from insomnia all her life. Here, she takes us on her odyssey in search of sleep, trying everything from drugs to hypnosis to meditation. Like Elizabeth Gilbert's recent Committed, this book manages the rare feat in an "issue" memoir of successfully integrating the history of a topic with the author's personal story. Informative, accomplished, and occasionally hilarious, it comes close to veering into New Age psychobabble, but luckily Morrissoe never loses her critical faculties.
Readalikes: Elizabeth Gilbert's Committed and Kay Redfield Jamison's An Unquiet Mind.-L.G.
Sojourner, Mary Jo. She Bets Her Life: A True of Gambling Addiction. Seal Pr. 2010. c.280p. ISBN 978-1-58005-298-6. $17.95. MEMOIR
This book takes readers on a harrowing journey through the netherworld of casinos, where gambling takes a stranglehold on its victims, often women. NPR commentator Sojourner (Bonelight: Ruin and Grace in the New Southwest) masterfully portrays the horror of gambling addiction. Like other addicts, Sojourner destroyed her life, but, unlike many, she regained it by participating in a close-knit self-help group of other female gambling addicts. The intense support and camaraderie of this group fosters healing. A startling exposure of the seduction of addiction and the means of abjuring it.
Readalike: Mary Karr's Lit.-L.M. Stern, Jessica. Denial: A Memoir of Terror.
Ecco. Jun. 2010. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-06-162665-4. $24.99. MEMOIR
Stern, a Harvard Law School lecturer and member of the Hoover Institution Task Force on National Security and Law, has established her stellar career through her expertise on terrorism. It is not surprising, then, that she addresses terror here. The surprise resides in the personal nature of the terror she exposes-Stern relives her childhood rape and reconstructs the identity of the serial rapist who was never apprehended, simultaneously regaining her own life. An excellent exposition of rape and a path to recovery.-L.M.
Treadway, David & others. Home Before Dark: A Family Portrait of Cancer and Healing. Union Square Pr. 2010. c.256p. ISBN 978-1-4027-6071-6. $22.95. MEMOIR
Psychologist Treadway's life proceeded as usual until, suddenly, it didn't. An acute shoulder pain after a vigorous bout of tennis led to the dreaded, unexpected diagnosis of cancer. David began the horrific process of treatment, while his family-wife Kate and sons Michael and Sam-provided welcome support. What differentiates this from the profusion of cancer memoirs is that it offers the meaningful perspectives of his family.
Readalike: Walter Wangerin's Letters from the Land of Cancer.-L.M. Parenthood
Fournier, Jean-Louis. Where We Going, Daddy?: Life with Two Sons Unlike Any Other. Other Pr. 2010. c.128p. tr. from French by Adriana Hunter. ISBN 978-1-59051-338-5. pap. $12. MEMOIR French humorist and documentary producer Fournier has penned a surprisingly humorless (though mercifully short) account of life with his two severely disabled sons. His candor is refreshing, and his incomprehension of his fate understandable, but it lacks the beauty and piercing insight of Jean-Dominique Bauby's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, to which it invites comparison by being a slim, somewhat lyrical account translated from French about life with a severe disability (though in this case told from a father's perspective).
Readalike: For a more insightful parent's view of raising a child with mental retardation, try Jane Bernstein's Loving Rachel.-L.G.
Van Ogtrop, Kristin. Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom. Little, Brown. 2010. c.272p. ISBN 978-0316068284. $24.99. MEMOIR
Let's mock modern upper-middle-class parenthood but end on a heartwarming note! Van Ogtrop, magazine editor and suburban mom, has composed a trite and half-baked dictionary of terms, from "absentee parenthood" (the joys of business trips) to "Zuzu's petal's phenomenon" ("the sign that nothing matters more than your children"). This book is impossible to read straight through from A to Z and would have worked better as a short piece in one of her women's magazines.
Readalike: Amy Eschilman, Balance Is a Crock, Sleep Is for the Weak: An Indispensable Guide to Surviving Working Motherhood-L.G. Extraordinary Lives
*Mason, Martha. Breath: A Lifetime in the Rhythm of an Iron Lung. Bloomsbury USA. Jun. 2010. c.368p. ISBN 978-1-608-19119-2. pap. $16. MEMOIR
At 11, an athletic and spunky Mason was stricken with polio and told she would die within the year. Unbelievably, with the aid of her devoted parents and the help of her small North Carolina small town, she lived to the age of 71 (she died in 2009), imprisoned in a useless body, spending her remaining 61 years inside an iron lung. The life of the mind was paramount to Mason, who describes herself as a "collector of people" and a true humanist whose life is informed by Marcus Aurelius's injunction to "do every act of your life as if it were the last." Truly inspiring stuff, made possible by voice-activated computers.
Readalike: Christy Brown's My Left Foot and Temple Grandin's Thinking in Pictures.-L.G. Nerds!
Oppenheimer, Mark. Wisenheimer: A Childhood Subject to Debate. Free Pr: S. & S. 2010. c.241p. ISBN 978-1-4391-2864-0. $25. MEMOIR
In his introduction, Oppenheimer describes himself as a "girl-shy nerd, policy wonk, glib wiseass, credit to his school," and most important, "a boy who loved language." The account of his childhood as a "Wisenheimer" (read: a smart aleck) and of how he finally came into his own only after joining the high school debating team is touching and well crafted. However, from the time he starts debating, the book devolves into a rather tedious account of every single debate, the high points and low points, and never lives up to its early promise.
Readalike: Mickey Rapkin's Theater Geek.-L.G. Medical
Krieger, Susan. Traveling Blind: Adventures in Vision with a Guide Dog by My Side. Purdue Univ. Pr. 2010. c.217p. ISBN 978-1-55753-557-3. $24.95. MEMOIR
Stanford professor Krieger (Things No Longer There: A Memoir of Losing Sight and Finding Vision) delineates the metaphorical notion of "vision" and distinguishes it from literal and figurative "blindness." Convincingly, she maintains that blindness generates its own precious insights into self and the larger world. Krieger gradually lost her sight when she was well into adulthood, which enables her to draw valid, perceptive comparisons. Accompanied by her guide dog, she journeys throughout the country exploring the world from a fresh perspective. Like her first book, this is an inspiring account of loss and gain. Readers with an eye for the metaphorical will savor Krieger's journey.-L.M.
Rough, Bonnie J. Carrier: Untangling the Danger in My DNA. Counterpoint. 2010. c.324p. ISBN 978-1-5824-3578-7. pap. $15.95. MEMOIR
First-time memoirist Rough is a carrier of a rare non-life-threatening genetic disorder called ectodermal dysplasia, which afflicts mainly men, including her father and brother. Her book attempts to be both a personal memoir and a family history, unsuccessfully switching perspectives and styles between characters in a jarring fashion and sharing every detail of the author's pregnancy decision-making process. Best suited for her fellow sufferers.
Readalike: For better insight into the process of genetic testing and choosing parenthood in the face of a disability, try Robert Marion's Genetic Rounds: A Doctor's Encounters in the Field that Revolutionized Medicine.-L.G.
Women's Stories
Goldberg, Cary & others. Three Wishes: A True Story of Good Friends, Crushing Heartbreak, and Good Luck on Our Way to Love and Motherhood. Little, Brown. 2010. c.288p. ISBN 978-0-316-079068. $24.99. MEMOIR
Responding to the ticking of their biological clocks, Goldberg, Beth Jones, and Pamela Ferdinand-three professional Boston women-opt to achieve their dreams of motherhood with the assistance of eight shared vials of donor sperm rather than await the arrival of Prince Charming. The resulting alchemy, told in the trio's alternating voices, is the stuff of modern-day chick flicks. Our heroines' paths to family happiness are not easy, but the lucky charm they share allows them each to rewrite the ending to their stories in surprising ways. Fans of chick lit as well as readers of contemporary biography will enjoy this new twist on an old story.
Readalikes: Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love, Isabel Gillies's Happens Every Day, and Julie Metz's Perfection.-T.P.N.
Johnson, Rheta Grimsley. Enchanted Evening Barbie and the Second Coming: A Memoir. NewSouth Bks. 2010. c256p. ISBN 978-1-58838-250-8. $24.95. MEMOIR
Johnson set out to write a series of autobiographical coming-of-age sketches centered on memories of her favorite holiday, Christmas. Life got in the way, however, and Johnson's memoir morphed into a look at her life as a budding journalist-and eventual popular syndicated columnist and chronicler of Southern life-and baby boomer woman. Childhood memories of family holiday gatherings give way to humorous descriptions of a "starter marriage" and, eventually, reflections on mature love and loss. Of interest primarily to fans of Johnson's columns and Southern memoir.
Readalikes: Lauretta Hannon's The Cracker Queen and Bailey White's Nothing with Strings.-T.P.N. Self-Improvement
Anderson, Hephzibah. Chastened: The Unexpected Story of My Year Without Sex. Viking. Jun. 2010. c.288p. ISBN 978-0-670-02186-4. $25.95. MEMOIR
Prompted by the realization that men never say they love her and a chance sighting of a former lover en route to buy an engagement ring for another woman, Anderson took a year off from the romance wars to ponder what she and other women have gained and lost since the sexual revolution. While her tone is philosophical and her definition of sex may strike some readers as, er, Clintonian, the discussion of what women want-and what they are willing to give up to get it-will provoke conversations among women still on the battlefield.
Readalikes: Elizabeth Gilbert's Committed, Maria Dahvana Headley's The Year of Yes, and Wendy Shalit's Girls Gone Mild.-T.P.N.
Lancaster, Jen. My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt To Discover If Not Being a Dumb Ass Is the New Black; or, A Culture-Up Manifesto. NAL. 2010. c.384p. ISBN 978-0-451-22986-1. $24.95. MEMOIR
Flummoxed by a reference (from her idol Candace Bushnell) to Baudelaire during an interview, New York Times best-selling memoirist and reality TV junkie Lancaster vows to broaden her cultural horizons. The meandering accounts of her "Jennaissance" touch on her efforts to become comfortable with opera, literature, and other areas of culture neglected in favor of The Real World: Miami and Vince Vaughan movies. Lancaster's genial willingness to expose the gaps in her knowledge serves her well as she describes her transformation from couch potato to smart cookie and will appeal to fans of self-improvement sagas of the light hearted variety.
Readalikes: Robyn Okrant's Living Oprah and Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project.-T.P.N.
Food as Redeemer
Moses, Kate. Cakewalk: A Memoir. Dial. 2010. c.368p. ISBN 978-0-385-34298-8. $26. MEMOIR
Take one unreliable, self-absorbed mother, mix with an angry, distant father, add a wicked sweet tooth, and blend in the artist's transcendent desire to create and be known, and you have the recipe for Moses's bittersweet memoir. The novelist and noted on-line raconteur intersperses sketches of her painful 1960s childhood with recipes for the gorgeous baked goods that may have saved her sanity as her deracinated family fell apart. The episodes are beautifully drawn, and Moses's triumph in forging a life of accomplishment and happiness seems like the real just dessert here. Appealing to fans of both literary and culinary memoir, this rises above the recent spate of misery memoirs.
Readalikes: Frank Bruni's Born Round, M.F.K. Fisher's The Gastronomical Me, and Giulia Melucci's I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti.-T.P.N.
Severson, Kim. Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life. Riverhead: Putnam. 2010. c.256p. ISBN 978-1-59448-757-6. $25. MEMOIR
New York Times food writer Severson knows all about culinary and journalistic skills. Reminiscent of Julie Powell's Julie and Julia, this fine book captures the author's struggle to reframe her life, with a little help from her friends, master chefs all. The featured eight cooks are, for the most part, contemporary luminaries in the world of cuisine. The work of Marion Cunningham, Alice Waters, Ruth Reichl, Marcella Hazan, Rachel Ray, Edna Lewis, and Leah Chase all offer significant life lessons to the author. Hot to be forgotten, too, is Severson's mother. A scrumptious memoir including delectable recipes.-L.M.
