So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye! In the four years I’ve written this column, there have been hundreds of stories told and read and reviewed. War, illness, death, loss, infidelity, marriage, childbirth, career change, and sheep farming have been the bases of some of the stories recounted. (I have to tell the truth here…the sheep farming saga still stands out among the rest not only for its revelation of an entirely different lifestyle but for its value as a pun-generator. I had fun with that review.) Anyway, my belief that memoir review was not a referendum on the author’s life but an examination of the quality of the storytelling about that life has carried us this far and it is now time for someone else to start looking at the stories of all the fascinating lives out there. Keep living your stories and telling them. We’re listening.
Burns, Amy Jo. Cinderland. Beacon. Oct. 2014. 216p. ISBN 9780807037034. $24.95; ebk. ISBN 9780807037041. MEMOIR
Life in a run-down, rusted-out Pennsylvania steel town took a turn for the worse for Burns when several young girls she knew accused their piano teacher of sexual improprieties. The author, now a writing teacher, did not join in the public accusations and rode out hard years of ostracism, criticism, and whispering before she escaped to an Ivy League college. (An earlier notable escapee was Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor, who followed a different path out of town.) The toll that Burns’s silence took manifested in several forms, and she details them here in a thoughtfully written examination of what motivated her to keep silent while other victims spoke out. VERDICT The author’s adolescence in a town that had seen better days and did not celebrate nonconformity was one of football games, community pools, and homecoming dances. Upsetting the equilibrium of a community already on the downslide was a move only for the very brave, and, as Burns points out, the path to survival was not wide enough for all to walk on it together. This is a modern moral quandary for readers to contemplate; unfortunately, the story is not a hypothetical one.
Comer, Meryl. Slow Dancing with a Stranger: Lost and Found in the Age of Alzheimer’s. HarperOne. Sept. 2014. 256p. ISBN 9780062130822. $26.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062130839. MEMOIR
Emmy Award–winning journalist Comer carefully chronicles her husband’s maddening descent into the hell of early-onset Alzheimer’s, describing how when he changed from a confident, Porsche-driving physician to a moody confused middle-aged man, his own doctors were perplexed and many—wrong—diagnoses were considered. Once the correct and heartbreaking diagnosis was made, Comer devoted her life to caring for her partner, whose condition persists 20 years after its onset, and advocating for better diagnostic and treatment services for others afflicted. Comer’s matter-of-fact yet sometimes circuitous narration of the horrific day-to-day realities of life as her husband’s primary caretaker is not always easy to read but sheds light on what is another stark reality baby boomers will need to face as they age. VERDICT In an awful twist of fate, the author’s mother developed Alzheimer’s disease in old age and the true horror of this form of dementia is revealed from all sides. Comer’s dedication to a defeat of Alzheimer’s is admirable, as is her bravery in submitting to genetic testing to assess her own level of risk. This account relates a real-life story of a situation that has no easy solutions.
Howard, Margo. Eat, Drink & Remarry: Confessions of a Serial Wife. Harlequin. Oct. 2014. 224p. ISBN 9780373893041. $24.95; ebk. ISBN 9781460340318. MEMOIR
Howard, the voice behind the “Dear Margo” and “Dear Prudence” advice columns, comes by her occupation honestly: she is the daughter of “Ann Landers” and the somewhat estranged niece of “Dear Abby.” This breezy and meandering memoir details her upbringing in privilege and her four trips down the aisle. More names are dropped per page in this trip down matrimonial lane than could be anticipated, and Howard exhibits a certain lack of self-awareness in her treatment of family members and acquaintances as bit players in her fabulous life. VERDICT Given the author’s family’s propensity to dispense advice, one might assume Howard would have handled the whole marriage thing differently (or better). Readers seeking the lowdown on Chicago celebs might consider this a primary source but others may recoil at her use of every occasion as grist for the madcap story mill.
Lear, Martha Weinman. Echoes of Heartsounds. Open Road. Sept. 2014. 127p. ISBN 9781497646155. pap. $9.99; ebk. ISBN 9781497646117. MEMOIR
Journalist Lear won fans 30 years ago with the publication of her first memoir, Heartsounds, the story, later adapted into an affecting film, of her first husband’s battle with a devastating and fatal heart condition. Fast-forward to the present and Lear is now telling the saga of her own terrifying experience with a cardiac event and its debilitating sequelae . Her second chance at love and happiness was nearly derailed by her own heart’s problems but also by ghosts and fears from the past. Her decision to “go forward,” while seemingly simple, was hard fought and based upon some very hard-learned lessons.VERDICT Lear went through hell and came back again—more than once. It’s notable that the author even considered sharing her second go-round in the cardiac unit with the world at large. Her audience is older now than when she wrote the first installment; here is a refresher course in handling life’s meanest challenges with grace delivered just in time.
McKenna, Martin. The Boy Who Talked to Dogs. Skyhorse. Oct. 2014. 240p. ISBN 9781629144337. $24.95; ebk. ISBN 9781629148809. MEMOIR
Australia-based dog behavior expert McKenna provides a harrowing account of his early teen years as a runaway from a large, dysfunctional, Garrytown, Ireland, family. During his months away from his tumultuous household, the author lived as a member of a posse. The most remarkable thing about the group was that he was the only human: the rest were dogs. The lessons McKenna learned about his new “family” members and their behaviors were not all easily adopted or intuitive. The surprising way he worked his way back to his family of origin contains useful bits of advice for those dealing with bullies of a human or canine variety. VERDICT The author faced many roadblocks as a child in 1970s Ireland: poverty, alcoholism in the family, learning disabilities, and bullying. It’s not hard to believe he was comforted more by his relationships with animals than with his relatives. The astounding thing is that he rebounded at all, and it is the very simple, straightforward, guidance on coping McKenna provides that will reward readers who stick with his tale of Dickensian woe until the bitter end.
Rhyne, Teresa. The Dogs Were Rescued (and So Was I). Sourcebooks. Oct. 2014. 288p. ISBN 9781492603382. pap. $14.99; ebk. ISBN 9781492603399. MEMOIR
Rhyne, author of 2012′s The Dog Lived (And So Will I), an account of her beagle Seamus’s (oh, and her own) bout with cancer, continues the story of her evolution into an animal rights, vegan, beagle rescue, anti-factory-farming, law-practicing activist. Rhyne’s wry and conversational tone will carry animal lovers and skeptics along the long and somewhat tortuous path (involving rescue beagles) she followed to arrive at contentment after the demise of Seamus. While the author’s sometimes over-the-top narrative style may grate on some, she reveals vulnerabilities (such as her initial inability to cope on a philanthropic trip to India) that will endear her to others dealing with illness or fragility after the loss of a pet. VERDICT Rhyne throws all she learned at a vulnerable point in her life at the reader, relating her understanding of factory farming and other animal rights abuses. The plight of beagles subjected to animal testing of cosmetics and other products is truly horrific. Rhyne, admirably, will convince some readers to take the same stand she has, but others may want to award the real medal of honor to her long-suffering boyfriend.