Memoir Short Takes: The Girl's Guide to Homelessness Is Display-Ready

The downtrodden wealthy widow; the homeless activist; the addict-turned-interventionist; the plugged-in producer with the near-death experience. Ladies and gents, I present this column's Village Peeps. (Don't sue me for a lame joke, please). Keep an eye on Brianna Karp's book—it's a good one.

Gammill, Joani. The Interventionist. Hazelden. May 2011. 336p. ISBN 9781592858941. pap. $14.95. MEMOIR
Gammill was a nurse in a drug-and-alcohol rehab facility, not to mention an addict. In a dark moment, she reached out on live television to Dr. Phil and promised to get help (and did). Now an independent interventionist and recovering addict/alcoholic, she partners with Dr. Phil to help addicts of all kinds. This story-alternating between tales of interventions she has facilitated and her corresponding personal struggle through addiction, recovery, and relapse-is powerfully rendered in active and emotionally connected language.
What I'm Telling My Friends This is Nurse Jackie staging interventions! She is human and gritty, someone you'd want in your corner if you were in need. Full of failures, bumps, and triumphs-she doesn't paint herself as fully savior or victim.

Harrison, Lindsay. Missing: A Memoir. Scribner. Aug. 2011. 256p. ISBN 9781451611939. $25. MEMOIR
Harrison was studying at Brown University when word came that her mother was missing. Harrison and her two older brothers immediately launched a search from their mother's Newburyport, MA, apartment all the way to Maine. After 40 days, their mother's body was found in the ocean. Harrison's profound grief and struggles with what remains of her family are wrought with fresh pain and a sense of hope within her self-imposed isolation. Visceral and stunning in its despair and slow growth, Harrison's first book certainly shouldn't be her last.
What I'm Telling My Friends This is terribly sad, but that's not a bad thing. It is also absolutely riveting: I was involved and cared immediately. This is good book treatment for unknowable moments, and there are so very many.

Joynt, Carol Ross. Innocent Spouse. Crown. May 2011. 288p. ISBN 9780307592095. $25. MEMOIR
Joynt's husband died suddenly, leaving her with their young son and a few surprises-foremost, a tax fraud investigation and over $3 million owed to the IRS. Thoroughly unaware of her husband's financial life, Joynt finds her way through widowhood with a side dish of prosecution. While the basic story is compelling, the telling is self-serving; sympathy is difficult to muster when it becomes onerous to track the number of boats and residences sold and kept for sentimentality's sake.
What I'm Telling My Friends It took me ages to slog through this cliché-fest, and I'd held out hope for a truly redemptive ending. For the über-wealthy, maybe, but not for people who persevere without live-in help, escapist jaunts on expense accounts, and multiple homes.

Karp, Brianna. The Girl's Guide to Homelessness: A Memoir. Harlequin. May 2011. 336p. ISBN 9780373892358. pap. $16.95 MEMOIR
Sexually and emotionally abused by her parents, Karp left home ASAP. Self-sufficiency delighted her; she adored her job and beach cottage. She lost both to the recession and moved into a trailer she parked in a Walmart lot while using free Starbucks wi-fi and her laptop to apply for jobs. She began blogging about her situation, documenting her struggles with homelessness and trying to regain stability. Candidly humorous, Karp's memoir is sharp and insightful, reminding readers just how perilous the security of a permanent address can be and offering tips on what to do if it is lost.
What I'm Telling My Friends This is eminently readable and relatable-Karp does an excellent job of putting a human face on homelessness. Definitely recommended; perfect for a display.

Licht, Chris. What I Learned When I Almost Died: How a Maniac TV Producer Put Down His BlackBerry and Started To Live His Life. S. & S. May 2011. 160p. ISBN 9781451627671. $23. MEMOIR
Licht, the famously aggressive executive producer for MSNBC's Morning Joe, suffered an aneurysm while in traffic and went to the hospital. Subsequent tests revealed a mystery: his brain, indeed, was bleeding, but the exact source couldn't be found, so his hospital stay was extended to eight days. Licht's life, as examined through his hospital time, is dissected in this quick read; his obsession with work and the show's success, quick temper, and sacrifice of time with family and friends to devote to his career are examined and evaluated.
What I'm Telling My Friends Guess what? Life is important! Family and friends are important. Be nice to people. I'm glad Licht got a wake-up call and a second chance, but there's no real rush for this.