Book as Gift
Birthday. Mother's Day. Graduation.
There's nothing better than giving, or receiving, a book. Lately I've been swimming (gratefully) in books. May I share a few of my favorites?
A book I bought for myself and want to give to everyone I know:
A beautiful restraint shines in Ghostbread, by Sonja Livingston. Written in 122 short chapters, Livingston tells the true story of growing up poor, hungry for food and love. Devoid of sentimentality, Ghostbread delivers a piercing combination of vivid detail and emotional control. In her preface, Livingston prepares us for the truth:
As a girl I never talked about how I grew up. It was complicated . . . Mostly I was certain that I was alone in a way that no one would understand. . .
I began to write. Of seven children who followed a mother as she flew around western New York live a misguided bird. How they flew and flew until they were sick from all the flying then landed flat and broken in the muggy slums of Rochester, New York. I wrote of living in apartments and tents and motel rooms. . . About sleeping in shacks and other people's beds . . .
A testament to survival, this memoir stands strong (and won the Award For Creative Nonfiction from the Association of Writers and Writing Programs).
I want to give Ghostbread to everyone I know, to those who recognize the pain and shame poverty can bring. And conversely, for those who believe poverty lives in the next town over, on another street, or church, or school, for those who can't see the struggling youngsters in their own backyard.
As Livingston writes at the book's end:
"How did you make it through?" people want to know. And I am not being humble or coy when I shake my head and can find no words.
I am not sure. . .
I celebrate and cry for those who still live in poverty's clutches: beautiful nieces, good-hearted nephews, hardworking siblings. I see with agonizing clarity from where I stand, and though I'd love to point them in new directions, there is not rope strong enough to pull someone from one life to another. And perhaps it is arrogance to try. Ideals and opportunities and social theorizing are just fine, but if you must understand only one thing, it is this: a warm hand and words whispered into the ear are what we want. Paths that can be seen and followed and walked upon are what we most need."
from Ghostbread
An unexpected gift:
Rick Campbell, of Anhinga Press, is a good friend to Seashore Family Literacy, where I lead writing groups. He sends us boxes of books and we dig in with Christmas-morning joy. A recent shipment contained some goodies, including Me, Them, Us, a novella by Meagan Ciesla. The story — a tight, sharp slice of poverty, choices and getting through — won first place in the Iron Horse Literary Review 2009 Novella Competition.
What I like about this work of fiction is — as with Ghostbread — its restraint. Characters are trying, ugly and mean. But instead of being written in broad strokes of bad, Ciesla writes with nuance to reveal effort, achievement and the gaps in between.
When it's been hard getting to know people your whole life, meeting someone who's easy to be with feels off. You start to wonder where the lies live, where the hurt is hidden. You hold your breath and wait for its end. Take your good luck as a warning sign that this can't last for long, that something's going to go terribly wrong.
from Me, Them, Us
How about you?
What books are you giving? or getting? Please share!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 11:25AM
Reader Comments (5)
Okay, two more books on my list of must-reads. For those interested in Alzheimer's disease, I recently read "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova. A debut novel first self-published before being picked up by a traditional publisher, it is a lovely character study of family and all the messiness of its memory.
Ghostbread sounds awesome.
We're reading (listening via audiobook, actually) Ben Hur. It's just getting really good. I think we have about 200 pages left of the 650. I have to keep pausing the tape to ask my kids what's going on. That's a big joke to them.
I just finished The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir by John Grogan
A light read. I really enjoyed it. It's hilarious in parts and extremely honest throughout.
Auburn, Thanks for the book suggestion. I added 'Still Alice" to my list. And what a great publishing story! (By the way, how is YOUR Alzheimer's -themed book going?)
Eliza - Ben Hur! I applaud your ambition, and that you are making it a family affair. Thanks for the memoir suggestion. I'm adding it to my list.
Keep those book suggestions coming!
Is "Ghostbread" in the library? I'm just rereading "Mr. Majestyk" by Elmore Leonard. Nothing new.
Fred,
I don't know if our local libraries (Waldport and Yachats) have Ghostbread yet. If not, they should! I bought two copies -- so I'm happy to share one with you, and/or donate it to the library.