Review: Immortal Bird by Doron Weber

Genre: Memoir

Format: Review Copy

Source: Publisher (Simon and Schuster)

Purchase: Indie Bound

I don't even know where to start in reviewing this. Will anything I write truly convey the power of this story? Could my opinion matter so much that it would trickle out into every corner of the blogosphere and convince every reader to read this book?

No. And I sure as hell hope so.

When "reviewing" any memoir, I become my inner youngest child. I look at it as a story that needs to be told and I listen with wide open ears.

I perch closer to the edge of my seat, enraptured.

I don't judge. I don't critique.

I just listen.

Some people's stories piss me off.

Some make me incredibly happy.

Some make me insanely mad.

Above it all, I learn.

Goodreads description:

A stirring, gorgeously written memoir of a father's struggle to protect his son - a model student and gifted actor - from a rare heart condition that threatens his life.

Damon Weber is a brilliant kid - a skilled actor and a natural leader at school. Born with a congenital heart defect that required surgery when he was a baby, Damon’s spirit and independence have always been a source of pride to his parents, who vigilantly look for any signs of danger.

Unbowed by frequent medical checkups, Damon proves to be a talent on stage, appears in David Milch's HBO series Deadwood, and maintains an active social life, whenever he has the energy. But running through Damon's coming-of-age in the shadow of affliction is another story: Doron's relentless search for answers about his son’s condition in a race against time.

Immortal Bird is a searing account of a father's struggle to save his remarkable son: a moving story of a young boy's passion for life, a family's love, the perils of modern medicine, and the redemptive power of art in the face of the unthinkable.

At the "heart" of Doron Weber's story is well, a real heart; his sons (Damon). A heart that, unfortunately, did not beat long enough.

Immortal Bird tells us not only the very bumpy medical journey that Damon went through with his heart condition but it also tells us of the incredibly strong love and bond between father and son. Doron's voice throughout is one of supreme advocacy and utterly powerful love and admiration for his first born son.

As a mother of a young boy who has a heart defect, my eyes had a gloss to them the entire time I read this. They finally burst towards the end of Damon's story.

What amazed me was not only Doron's love for his son but his admirable tenacity in finding the medical answer to his son's health questions. No stone was left unturned. No article unread. No opinion left unsolicited. Doron's connections in the world of science and health allowed him to beat down doors that may not be open to many of us and demand the best care for Damon.

On top of it all, Doron also strived incredibly hard to give Damon a normal active life. Through it all, they hardly stopped taking trips, going to the theater, out to dinner, visiting relatives, hanging out with friends, camping, etc. With the amount of ups and downs they had through Damon's life, the family along with mother, Shealagh and younger siblings, Miranda and Sam, they plugged on in their active lives.

I was so touched and honored to read about this family. That's what it boils down to for me. What an amazing father for sharing his family's story with us. There was so much emotion throughout that I can not imagine the amount of bravery Mr. Weber had to face to chronicle it all again. What an amazing young man Damon was as well. With every step of the way, his spirit and drive and smarts and humor and compassion came through. I am happy that his life and journey can be shared so eloquently and powerful as it was in Immortal Bird.

Review: Recommend

I can not stress enough how much I highly recommend this book. There is so much here that I think all parents should read. Not only the powerful bond between a father and son but also the reality of the medical community and the flaws that can surface.

As parents we are the voice of our children and we never stop fighting for the rights, safety, happiness and health of the ones we love.

Doron Weber did it all for his son and I am honored to have been able to read his journey.

Author Info:

Doron Weber

Damon Weber

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Between Interruptions: 30 Women Tell the truth about Motherhood

Publisher: Key Porter Books

Genre: Memoir/Essays

Format: Review Copy

Purchase: Indie Bound

TLC Book Tours

This book was a no brainer for me to read and review. I'm a mom and am constantly being interrupted with everything I do. Would I have it any other way? No. Would I still like a moment to myself sometimes? You bet. Do I have a few drinks every now and then and vent about the ups and downs of motherhood? Yessiree.

I find it to be also very appropriate that I am now three days late for this blog tour due to a hectic schedule of jobs, family and daycare/school shuffling about. I guess when you are late to reviewing this kind of book, the reader should understand. Right?

I hope so.

Having that said, I really enjoyed this book. The range of stories was really diverse, unlike a lot of other essay collections I've read about motherhood. You go from one extreme hearing about a journalist covering the war in Iraq 3 months after giving birth to an actress who's brilliant birth plan is shattered when he son arrives three months early.

These stories were honest and that is always refreshing. I enjoy seeing the humor in motherhood and the fact that we are not perfect. Thank you to the women in these stories for admitting that and sharing all of the ups, downs, the expectations, the regrets, the joy, the hope, and the love of motherhood.

Thank you to Lisa at TLB Book Tours for asking me to be on this tour.

Once again, sorry I am late!

Rating: Recommend

I think this book is geared towards mothers of all ages. I think if you were not a mother, it would go over your head. You have to live it to relate, in my opinion. If there is a reader considering motherhood, then it would give them a voice from all sides.

Overall, I recommend this collection of essays on motherhood. Raw, honest and sincere, it tells it like it is.

Author Info:

Cori Howard is the founder of The Momoir Project, an online writing centre that offers memoir writing classes, workshops and workbooks. She’s also an award-winning journalist whose work in newspapers, magazines, TV and radio has taken her around the world. Her stories – many about motherhood – have appeared in publications including Reader’s Digest, Elle, The Independent, among many others. She lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her family.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Review: MWF seeking BFF: My Year Long Search for a new Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche

Publisher: Ballantine (Random House)

Format: Review Copy

Purchase: Indie Bound

Challenge: Memorable Memoir Challenge

Boy, this book could not have been written for anyone more perfect than me. What a lovely memoir that hit so close to home. Thank you so much to Tom @ Random House for sending this. It was a delight to read.

I'll break it down simply for you all. Rachel, the author, is new to the city of Chicago. She is newly married and really quite happy except for one small little realization. She doesn't have any real friends. Where are her besties? Where are the gals she can call at a moments notice to go to lunch? Nowhere, that's where. She has plenty of acquaintances but no one like her two closest childhood friends. Unfortunately they live in other states and she misses having that close connection to someone in the same city.

So begins her search for her new BFF.

Her goal: 52 friend dates. One date per week for one year.

She takes on many different challenges to finding these friends from putting out an ad to taking an improv class. Along the way, she meets some amazing women who she readily admits to having girl crushes on. She also meets a handful of bitches and gals that she just doesn't click with.

I found her humor to be so refreshing and fun to read. I really think if I went on a friend date with her that we could be friends. Of course, I wonder how many gals said that upon reading her book or blog! With her love for sushi, trash magazines and her knowledge of the old TV show Sisters, I could tell she was potential BFF material. (I mean, NO ONE knows about the show Sisters. I thought I was the only one!)

Anyhoo, her sincere, sweet, sometimes insane quest to find a new BFF was really a joy to read. I do have to admit that it was a bit exhausting at times to read through how busy she truly made herself. With the constant dinners and follow up get togethers, to classes, coffee, you name it, the girl was busy and going broke! But with a supportive new husband and a drive to find her match, she plugged through.

As a married woman now with a child who has very close friends living out of state, I related to this wholeheartedly. Sure, I know a ton of people and have some wonderful folks in my life nearby but I too, struggle for BFF's that are near to me. It was really interesting to see how she broke friendships down and it made me look at those in my life a little bit closer. It's really common to be in your late 20s, early 30s and have trouble finding new friends. This book gave me some ideas and hope that finding some good ol' friendship companionship is a need that so many have and it's okay!

Rating: Recommend

I didn't find much I didn't like about this book. It was sweet, fun and intriguing to read her adventures in the land of Friend Dates. Even though there were a few times that I was exhausted at her search, her intent and desire for friendship pulled me through. I didn't feel like she was fake about it at all just to sell a book. Her humor was sincere and refreshing. I would recommend this book for fans of Jen Lancaster's books or Laurie Notaro. Fun, fresh, witty writing.

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Imperfect Endings by Zoe Fitzgerald Carter (review #122)

Imperfect Endings: A Daughter's story of Love, Loss, and Letting Go

by Zoe Fitzgerald Carter

Genre: Memoir

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

* Read for 2011 Memorable Memoir Reading Challenge

It's never easy losing someone you love. It could be from an accident or peacefully in their sleep from old age. It still hurts. You still grieve. You still feel regrets.

Imagine if your loved one, your mother, wanted to take her own life? What if she was ready to make that decision for herself and she wanted your help?

Well, that it what Zoe Fitzgerald Carter was faced with when her mother, suffering from a host of ailments, most notably Parkinson's, decides to end her own life. She enlists her three daughters to help her plan the day it will happen and the events leading up to it.

I was a little hesitant about reading this one because I knew it would bring up a lot of questions and emotions in myself. Who decides when we die?

Why is believing in God's hands more acceptable than your own?

Carter does a wonderful job giving the reader an idea of the absolute craziness she felt during this time. She shares with us her indecision, her fear, her anger towards her mother, her feelings towards her deceased father, her tension with her sisters and her absence from her own family. I never felt she was doing anything wrong but yet, I didn't feel like anything was right about the situation. I completely understood her mother's motive and her desire to take away all of her pain and be at peace. I also understood the incredible anger her daughters and family had towards her for putting them in this situation.

This made me think of my own Grandma, who lived until she was 94. Admittedly she had wanted to go about ten years before that but her faith kept her strong until the end. She believed that when it was her time, God would call her. How amazing and frustrating at the same time! To believe that strongly but still feel like you are ready in yourself. Did she ever have thoughts like Zoe's mom? Who knows? I doubt it but one never really knows.

Overall, this memoir was unique. It shared a very intimate and powerful story of Carter's family. Sprinkled in were scenes from her childhood and her relationships with each family members, which showcased her love for her mother even more and her need to be loved by her.

Review: 4/6

I do recommend this for fans of personal memoirs. It is a bit intense and gloomy but assisting your mother with her own suicide can't really be anything but that. But what I got from it was a little Q&A with myself on my beliefs and motivations towards family and death. A little self reflection is a good thing and when prompted by a well written memoir, even better.

Book Club Pick?

Yes, definitely. It would bring on strong emotion along with some pretty intense debate, I believe. Relationships between mothers and daughter are one thing that easily can get people talking but the added conflict of right and wrong surrounding death brings on so much more.

Here is a Reading Group Guide.

Author Website:

Zoe Fitzgerald Carter

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Half in Love by Linda Gray Sexton (review #112)

Half in Love (Surviving the legacy of suicide) by Linda Gray Sexton

Genre: Memoir

Publisher:

Review Copy

* Read for the 2011 Memorable Memoir Reading Challenge

I've recently discussed the difficulty in reviewing memoirs with a few other bloggers. Some are hesitant with reviewing them because they feel they don't want to "review" someone else's life. My opinion is you don't review or analyze the book itself, you simply discuss how their life and story affected you. You don't judge, you don't criticize.

When you get a powerful memoir like Half in Love, you walk away extremely affected.

I have to say honestly I need to take a break for atleast a few months from books involving mothers, daughters, depression and suicide. I'm spent.

Here is a brief description of Half in Love from TLC Book Tours website.

Despite experiencing the agony of witnessing her mother’s multiple suicide attempts, the last of which was successful, Linda Gray Sexton found herself gripped by the same strong tentacles of mental anguish. Falling into the familiar grooves of her mother’s relentless depression, Sexton tries once, twice, three times to kill herself—even though she is a daughter, sister, wife, and most importantly, a mother.

Sexton unsparingly describes her struggle to escape the magnetism of her mother and the undertow of depression that engulfed her life. Her powerful prose drags readers into her imperviously dark mental state. It conveys her urgent need to alleviate the internal pain, a need that becomes compulsive and considers no one.

But unlike her mother, hers is a story of triumph. Through the help of family, therapy, and medicine, Sexton confronted deep-seated issues, outlived her mother, and curbed the haunting cycle of suicide she once seemed destined to inherit.

I had never read any poetry by Anne Sexton or knew much about her life and death. It was eye opening to read about her own mental anguish and depression combined with the genius of her literary life. How does depression and madness affect your family? Obviously for Linda Gray Sexton it was her whole life. From her early memories of admiring and wanting to be it all for her mother to her own issues with overcoming depression.

Though incredibly raw and vivid and undeniably hard to read at times, Linda's memoir flowed very beautifully in its heartbreak and madness. She managed to be brutally honest without it sounding forced. It was as if she came to a place in her life where it was time to let it all out, no holds barred.

The memoir is broken up into parts, starting with a lot of her childhood back and forth and surviving her mother's suicide and forging on with her young adult life. Then it progresses into her own adulthood; marrying her husband, having her two children, starting her writing career as a novelist. The middle parts of heavy on her depression and her own suicide attempts and then the eventual demise of her first marriage. It does not wrap with happy endings but it does end up with hope, which in turn is that title of the last chapter. New marriage, better awareness of her demons,and optimism for the future.

The parts that struck me the most were during her early years in her first marriage to Jim. The affects of having children and the emotional roller coaster that comes with it. I certainly identified with that. Her desire was to be a good mom but she still had the impact of her own mother hanging over her.

Rating: 4/6

It was a well written, honest memoir of her life. It was intense, brutal and sad. If you are not in the mood for a heavy book, this would not be for you. But those of us who have suffered from depression in any way shape or form could certainly identify and learn from her journey.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for having me on this tour. Click to find out more about the author and the remaining stops along the tour.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok (review # 106)

The Memory Palace: a memoir by Mira Bartok

Publisher: Free Press (Simon and Schuster)

On Sale Date: January 11

Format: Review Copy

*Read for 2011 Memorable Memoir Reading Challenge

I received this book last summer and have been waiting for the right time and mood to read it, for I knew it would be a powerful one. I was glad I waited until after the holidays when I had a few days to breathe and relax. This book took it out of me, both physically and emotionally. How can I compare my anguish in reading this story to Mira Bartok's living it? I can't.

I'm including the description from the back of the review copy to better explain the deeply layered story of this woman's life. It explains it far better than I could. (text may be different on finished book)

Mira Bartok spent seventeen years hoping that her mother, Norma Herr, would never find her. A severe case of schizophrenia caused Norma to obsess over her daughters' lives-calling them fifty times a day or more, appearing unannounced at their jobs and homes, threatening them if they suggested that she get treatment for her illness.

After Norma violently attacked her daughters when they insisted she get help, Mira and her sister decided that they must change their names and cut off all contact in order to stay safe.

During the next two decades, Mira traveled the world but she could not abandon her past. As Mira struggled to balance her alliance with her sister, her burgeoning art career, and her anguish over losing her mother she and Norma began exchanging letters through post office boxes.

At age 40, a debilitating car accident leaves Mira with a terrible brain injury. She could retrain herself to draw and to write but struggled to regain memories. When she learns that her mother has been hospitalized with terminal cancer, Mira and her sister decide to visit Norma before it is too late. In those final weeks, they experience a cathartic reunion that none of them had imagined possible and Mira begins to reconnect with the memories the she feared had been lost.

The power of reading a well written memoir is feeling like you have been hit by a truck after its done. Though I love memoirs and appreciate the honesty that comes along with sharing your own story, I find it unnerving when I walk away changed. On one hand it's a testament to the talent of the storyteller, on the other it's the tragedy of the story itself that makes you look at your own life differently.

Mira Bartok, in my opinion, has a lot of guts for sharing her story. Schizophrenia is a terrifying disease and not one that should be candy coated. She tells it with brutal honesty how her mother was enveloped by this but at the same time, her love for her is still so powerfully present.

I was excruciatingly uncomfortable while reading certain parts of this book especially during her mother's manic, tragic moments; the ranting, the accusations, the threats, the violence.

I was also deeply saddened by the sheer neglect of these two little girls during their childhood. Mira's Grandparents, though close (down the road), are still absent in their own way; the Grandfather, an abusive alcoholic; the Grandmother, a submissive woman just wanting some peace. Sure, they were fed and given a place to sleep but nurturing was not something they receive enough of.

I admire Mira for forging on through her adult life and making the brave decision to cut all ties with her mother. One thing I have learned for working in social services with children is no matter how horrible your home life is, it is still your home and you will always feel attached to it. I can only imagine the guilt and sadness she must have felt all those years away from her mother and her connection to her home.

The story does take different twists while Mira explores the world in her art career and during those parts, her mother is still present but not as vibrant and intense. It was a nice break as a reader and I don't mean that in a negative way. It was simply too emotional to read page after page of her mother's trials and it was refreshing to see Mira find some peace in her own corners of the world.

Rating: 5/6

This was a profound memoir, almost a little difficult to review. The power was overwhelming and I honestly don't feel my words could do it justice. It is certainly a journey, one that doesn't get neatly wrapped up in the end. The story is filled with many lifetimes and Mira Bartok does a fantastic job in the details. All I can do is say thank you for sharing your heart wrenching story with all of us and I hope more can learn from it.

Here is a definition of A Memory Palace from the book:

Ricci, a jesuit priest who possessed great mnemonic powers, traveled to China in 1596 and taught scholars how to build an imaginary palace to keep their memories safe. He told them that the size of the palace would depend on how much they wanted to remember. To every thing they wanted to recall, they were to affix an image; to every image, a position inside a room in their mind.

One of the last lines of the book written by Mira are powerful:

If memory is a palace, let me live there, forever with her, somewhere in that place between sleep and morning. Without her long nights waiting in the rain, without the weight of guilt I bear when I buy a new pair of shoes. Let me dream a palace in the clear night sky, something between Perseus the Hero, and Cygnus, the Swan- a dark comforting place. A place lit by stars and a winter moon.

Websites to check out:

The Memory Palace Book Trailer

Simon and Schuster's Author Page

Book Club Read?

Yes, though it may be intense for some, I feel it would generate a lot of discussion. Topics like Mental Health, Familial Obligation, Art, Domestic Abuse, Substance Abuse are heavily present in this book.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

2011 Memorable Memoirs Reading Challenge

This will be my second challenge that I will be signing up for in the next year. I have decided to focus on my three favorite genres: Mysteries (my own challenge), Memoirs and Literary Fiction (which I am still pondering which challenge to join).

This challenge is hosted by Melissa at The Betty and Boo Chronicles, one my of my favorites stops in blog land.

If you have not discovered her yet, I would recommend stopping by.

Here are the rules:

About the Challenge: If you enjoy reading memoirs or really haven't explored them as much as you'd like to, then this is the challenge for you. Anything that in your mind qualifies as a memoir will meet the challenge requirements. Letters, diaries, autobiographies, books on writing memoirs ... in my book, they all count as Memorable Memoirs. Books, e-books, audiobooks are all fine.

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2011. You can sign up anytime from now and throughout 2011, but don't start reading until January 1, 2011.

Requirements: It's up to you! I want this to be a fun and low-key challenge, yet one that will be worthwhile of your valuable reading time. If that means reading one memoir, that's great. If that means reading three dozen, even better. You decide what works for you. Overlaps with other challenges are more than fine ... even encouraged. :)

Write a post (or include your intention to participate in this along with other challenges) on your blog (if you don't have a blog, you can just leave a comment). Tell us how many Memorable Memoirs you're planning on reading. You don't need to list your books in advance, but if you want to, we'd love to see which ones you're thinking about. You can always change them later. (I'll create a list of possibilities based on some of my own memoir reading and that which participants did last year.)

On January 1 (or thereabouts), I'll have a link up for reviews.

The challenge is open to anyone, even if you don't have a blog. You can sign up in the comments, or in the Linky below. (I haven't had good luck with linkies this year ... if it ever goes down, check back later or leave your link in the comments.)

Sign up with your name and url to your blog post about the challenge. Example: Melissa (The Betty and Boo Chronicles)

Most importantly, have fun with this challenge. Happy Memorable Memoir Reading!

My Goal is to read 10 Memoirs.

I have not decided what they are but I know there will be so many delicious, delightful, inspiring, and powerful stories that will come my way in the next year.

Here are a few I am interested in already:

The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok

Coming Home to Myself by Wynonna Judd

Blue Blood by Edward Conlon

Parallel Play by Tim Page

I mentioned a few others in a previous post as well.

Cakewalk by Kate Moses and Stuffed by Patricia Volk.

Happy Reading, Happy Holidays and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Review #103: An Innocent, A broad by Ann Leary

An Innocent, a Broad by Ann Leary

Description from Publisher website:

When Ann Leary and her husband, then unknown actor-comedian Denis Leary, flew to London in the early nineties for a brief getaway during Ann's second trimester of pregnancy, neither anticipated the adventure that was in store for them. The morning after their arrival, Ann's water broke as they strolled through London's streets. A week later their son, Jack, was born weighing only two pounds, six ounces, and it would be five long months before mother and son could return to the States.

In the meantime, Ann became an unwitting yet grateful hostage to Britain's National Health Service -- a stranger in a strange land plunged abruptly into a world of breast pumps and midwives, blood oxygen levels, mad cow disease, and poll tax riots. Desperately worried about the health of her baby, Ann struggled to adapt to motherhood and make sense of a very different culture.

I have to admit that I was lured into reading this book because I was curious about the woman behind Denis Leary. Yes, he is definitely one of my famous crushes. He has been for years, ever since I saw his stand up show No Cure for Cancer. I was in my early twenties, back when I smoked a pack a day, wore tight jeans and thought myself to be wickedly funny. I knew very little of his personal life until just recently when I discovered this book and Ann's blog.

Her experience is definitely shared with her husband but it is entirely in her own voice, one that is smart, sharp and full of a wicked sense of humor. She comes across entirely vulnerable yet utterly prepared at the same time, something that fascinated me as a mother.

I can't imagine living in another country hoping and praying that my child, born premature, gets the healthy okay that he is fit to go home. You feel her struggles with being a new mom and trying to be a supportive wife at the same time. Denis's career was about to take off and the opportunities in London were critical to his success.

She also writes candidly about the differences with health care in London and the doctors and other patients she meets. I knew very little of this and found it to be scary and educational at the same time.

Rating: 4 stars/ 6 stars

I recommend this for a few different readers. It has the memoir style to it; very lyrical, human, down-to-earth writing style. But it also has a bite to it, laced with sass and humor; I guess, something to expect from the wife of a comedian. Certainly talented in her own right, Ann Leary writes a touching tale about plugging away through some tough choices and coming out the other end.

Author's blog:

Ann Leary

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Review #99: Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

by Ruth Reichl

Genre: Memoir, food

Publisher: Penguin

My Thoughts:

There is something so satisfying when you pick up an old book you've had on your shelf and you both hit it off immediately. There are no thoughts involved, no second guessing...it's just pure, go-from-the-gut decision making. I declared "I'm going to read this and I'm going to like it!"

Yesterday afternoon as the little one napped, my husband and I snuggled (yes, really snuggled) down deep in our couch, threw a quilt over our knees and read together. His choice? The Basic Writings of Trotsky (he is still politically enamored with The Lacuna and needs to research). I found my pick to be a bit more cozy! AND it was snowing outside. How perfect!

Garlic and Sapphires is a foodie's dream. I absolutely love to read food memoirs and haven't read many in a little while. Reichl's story starts with her life as the food critic for the LA Times. She gets a call from the New York Times with an offer to be their restaurant critic. Originally a New Yorker at heart, she really can't quite come to a decision about whether or not she is ready to go "home".

After several attempts to "blow" the interviews (even though the job was already hers and the interviews were merely a formality), she decides that it would be an adventure for herself as a food lover and for her family; a journalist husband and a young son accompany her.

She is not prepared for the brash treatment she receives from the city; the competitive nature of the restaurants, the reaction from the readers and the eaters and the rules she has to learn at her office. What she is prepared for, however, is to eat. She goes at it with gusto and tries to broaden her eyes and her reader's eyes to the diverse eating joys New York has to offer.

This was during the early 90s, way before Sushi was cool, before a lot of ethnic food in general was acceptable or mainstream. And way before Times Square was clean. :)

It doesn't take her long to realize that her face is recognizable and life as the NYTimes restaurant critic is a celebrity existence, one that greatly alters her experiences in these restaurants.

Hungry for the truth and hungry to show her readers what it would be like to really eat at these places, she decides to go in disguise. With help from her mother's elderly best friend, her office secretary and various theater friends, she creates her other personalities.

Molly, a retired teacher who's husband makes it big in real estate.

Miriam, a replica of her mother.

Chloe, a confident blonde.

Betty, an elderly quiet woman.

This just names a few.

The results are vastly different experiences in food and especially customer service. As Ruth, she gets the best. As Molly, she gets shoved in the back in the smoking section for an hour. As Chloe, she gets fawned over. As Betty, she gets ignored.

Her adventures, though fun in nature, bring to light the dark side of critiquing expensive food. Is it only for the wealthy New Yorker? Why can't tourists looking to have a good time and spend some money be treated just as good? Why if you don't "look the part" you get ignored?

As the book goes on, you read Reichl's transformation as a critic and her growth as a person. Funny, witty, and smart, Reichl is someone I would LOVE to meet and of course, share a meal with. She knows food and the business of food and it is evident in her writing because my mouth was watering the entire time I was reading.

My husband unfortunately did not live up to the challenge of serving me Foie Gras!

Rating: 6 stars/ 6 stars

A gem of a book that I am so happy I dusted off for a cold, snowy Sunday afternoon. If you love food, memoirs or even New York, this is an adventure you would love to read about.

Highly recommended!

Author Profile:

Ruth Reichl went on to be the editor in chief of Gourmet and has written two previous books, Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me with Apples.

Fun Note:

According to some Google buzz, this is currently in development as a movie with a possible starring role for Catherine Keener! How exciting!

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Review #14: The Water Giver by Joan Ryan

Title: The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son and Their Second Chance

Author: Joan Ryan

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Format: Review copy

Genre: Memoir

Rating: 5/5

In giving feedback to the publisher, I simply wrote, "This book hit me like a punch to the gut."

It told a story of a mother and son with a bond so strong, I shed tears as a read. Being a mother to a son, I hoped for the bond but not the tragic event that helped create it.

My description:

The author and her husband adopt an infant boy from a young couple in Hawaii. Successful, well off, and enthusiastic to be parents, they do not anticipate parenting to be a difficult ride.

Their son, Ryan, turns out to be anything but easy. From an early age he is aggressive, anxious, and hyper plagued with misunderstood and misdiagnosed learning disabilities. After many attempts to "fix" her son, the author settles into the feeling that she has some how failed him and is in turn a bad mother.

Then comes the day like any other Ryan hops on his skateboard and takes a spin around the neighborhood, only to fall and hit his head. A trip to the hospital is in order for a quick check, just to be safe, says the mother. But what occurs is the beginning of months and months of pain, recovery, worry, heartbreak, love and miracles. That bump to his head caused such damage that he required surgery after surgery and months of rehabilitation.

These months after the accident is the heart of this book.

My Review:

One line that haunted me throughout and was repeated was "His clothes were still in the back of the car waiting for him."

(shiver)

As a mother, you are always planning; for the worst, for rain, for hunger, for a scrape, for a tantrum, or for fun. Whatever it is, a mother will be prepared. The author, on the way to the hospital, thinking it won't be too long brings her son a new pair of clean clothes. Always prepared.

Of course, as soon as she gets to the hospital, the news becomes so bad that the ordinary gets forgotten.

By reading the description of the book and the author profile, you do know ahead of time that her son does end of surviving and pulling through but you don't plan on the heavy hearted account of what he had to go through, what the family had to go through to get there. This book was written with such emotional honesty that I really felt like I was there with her as a friend holding her hand. Sounds cheesy I know but, chalk it up to being a mom, but I GOT it. I just GOT what she was feeling, what she wanted to do, and the fierceness in her protection and advocacy of her son's healthcare.

This was an absolutely powerful account of a mother's love for her son. During his recovery and rehabilitation, she becomes the mother she wanted to be and he needs her in the way she always wanted him to. It's no longer about putting him in a box and figuring him out. It's about finally understanding that he is her son, no matter what and she will stop at nothing to protect him.

I am a fan of memoirs. I enjoy reading stories of other's lives especially if I can identify or gather a bit of wisdom. This book brought me back to my own childhood when I had open heart surgery at the age of five. I have vivid memories of the support and love of not only my mother and father but a whole cast of doctors, nurses and therapists which this book is full of;

a dedicated crew from various healthcare facilities along the way.

I highly recommend this book to a reader who enjoys a powerful story. It is worthy of a 5 rating. It is due out in September 2009 in stores. Here is a short author profile straight from the back of the book for your reference:

Joan Ryan is an award winning journalist and author. She was a pioneer in sports journalism, becoming one of the first female sports columnists in the country. Her first book, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: the Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters, was named one of the Top 100 Sports Books of All Time by Sports Illustrated. Joan lives in Marin County, north of San Francisco, with her husband, Fox sportscaster Barry Tompkins, their 18 yr old son, Ryan, and their dog, Bill.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

* red headed book child