Does it look sexier when I write it like that? A little, I think. The brief impression of someone choking themself while they write.
Anyway, in 2010 I read four memoirs, all good, and all written by women.
Official Book Club Selection Kathy Griffin
Are You Somebody? Nuala O'Faolain
Rat Girl Kristin Hersh
Wishful Drinking Carrie Fisher
I recomend all of them, but I suggest pairing them to balance things out. Take them two-at-a-time.
Pair the Irish ladies, O'Faolain and Griffin. The sad story of Are You Somebody? will be softened by Griffin's book. And Wishful Drinking will cheer you up and bring you back to reality after Rat Girl.
Since Fisher's and Hersh's books both deal with mental illness and feature odd, old-Hollywood actresses- Debbie Reynolds and Betty Hutton- their stories are strangly similar. Both Hersh and Fisher were diagnosed with manic depression just as it was going through its name change to bi-polar. Their mental heath workers also told them both about historical figures who were bi-polar, such as Saint Francis.
I'm looking to read another autobiography soon but I think this time I'm gonna go with a man. I just can't think of anyone yet. Any suggestions?
Note: Another similarity between Rat Girl and Wishful Drinking is the focus on the personal shame of being mentally ill. Hersh writes a lot about being ashamed of her manic behavior. And Fisher tells about the time that she went off her medication and didn't sleep for six nights- she thought everything on TV was about her and when she checked herself into the hospital she signed "Shame" instead of her name.
Showing posts with label Nuala O'Faolain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nuala O'Faolain. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Nuala O'Faolain
This past Sunday I went to my parents' house because my dad's side of the family was coming for a visit. It was a beatutiful, warm day and we ate outside and had a great time.
My Uncle Jerry loaded his truck with things he was getting rid of: jackets, books, household items, and a 32" TV. Most of the books were Ireland related and I snagged a couple Irish ghost story books as it's October and I like to get into the spirit.
I also grabbed a book I had seen in the past and hadn't really thought about reading before. I'd liked Angela's Ashes and Frank McCourt blurbed, "You don't want the book to end" about Are You Somebody? by Nuala O'Faolain.
I started reading it the next day and I finished it last night with tears in my eyes.
Are You Somebody? is so well written that it makes you want to sit down and write your own life story and hope that it will come out half as good.
Total honesty- no holding back- is one of the things that makes it so strong. She lays everything out when you know it must've been a brutal process.
The only thing that might keep my from recommending it to my friends is I know there are certain parts where they're going to be lost, as I was, and want to skip over sections.
I know next to nothing about many of the books and writers she talks about. And she lost me, too, when she listed the countries and landmarks she visited on holiday.
She's been fucking everywhere, by the way. If you live in Europe it must be really cheap to get plane tickets. She went everywhere you've ever wanted to go and everywhere you don't.
I've gotten really bad with Wikopedia- when I come across a movie on TV I have to go look it up and read how it ends. I don't know why. I'd never do that with a book, but halfway through Are You Somebody? I decided to look up the author and learn a little more about her life.
It made me really sad to discover that she's no longer alive; she died of cancer in 2008. I didn't see that coming- she's only about five years older than my parents.
Anyway, if you get the chance you should seek out this book. Go to the library or buy it this week at your local bookstore. It's worth buying, and besides, you'll want to re-read it, either right away or in the coming years. It's a good story, told well.
My Uncle Jerry loaded his truck with things he was getting rid of: jackets, books, household items, and a 32" TV. Most of the books were Ireland related and I snagged a couple Irish ghost story books as it's October and I like to get into the spirit.
I also grabbed a book I had seen in the past and hadn't really thought about reading before. I'd liked Angela's Ashes and Frank McCourt blurbed, "You don't want the book to end" about Are You Somebody? by Nuala O'Faolain.
I started reading it the next day and I finished it last night with tears in my eyes.
Are You Somebody? is so well written that it makes you want to sit down and write your own life story and hope that it will come out half as good.
Total honesty- no holding back- is one of the things that makes it so strong. She lays everything out when you know it must've been a brutal process.
The only thing that might keep my from recommending it to my friends is I know there are certain parts where they're going to be lost, as I was, and want to skip over sections.
I know next to nothing about many of the books and writers she talks about. And she lost me, too, when she listed the countries and landmarks she visited on holiday.
She's been fucking everywhere, by the way. If you live in Europe it must be really cheap to get plane tickets. She went everywhere you've ever wanted to go and everywhere you don't.
I've gotten really bad with Wikopedia- when I come across a movie on TV I have to go look it up and read how it ends. I don't know why. I'd never do that with a book, but halfway through Are You Somebody? I decided to look up the author and learn a little more about her life.
It made me really sad to discover that she's no longer alive; she died of cancer in 2008. I didn't see that coming- she's only about five years older than my parents.
Anyway, if you get the chance you should seek out this book. Go to the library or buy it this week at your local bookstore. It's worth buying, and besides, you'll want to re-read it, either right away or in the coming years. It's a good story, told well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
