There's a bench in Cully, Switzerland. It's in a little park tucked up against the shore of Lake Geneva. I go there a lot to just sit and think, or...
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A book that instantly captured the hearts of readers across the country, An American Childhood is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Dillard's poignant, vivid memoir of growing up in Pittsburgh in the 1950s.
Review:
"[An American Childhood] combines the child's sense of wonder with the adult's intelligence and is written in some of the finest prose that exists in contemporary America. It is a special sort of memoir that is entirely successful...This new book is [Annie Dillard's] best, a joyous ode to her own happy childhood." Chicago Tribune
Review:
"A remarkable work...an exceptionally interesting account." New York Times
Review:
"A vivid and thoughtful evocation of particular personal experiences that have an exuberantly timeless appeal."
Chicago Sun-Times
Review:
"An American Childhood shimmers with the same rich detail, the same keen and often wry observations as her first book [Pilgrim at Tinker Creek]." Charlotte Observer
Review:
"By turns wry, provocative and sometimes breathtaking...This is a work marked by exquisite insight." Boston Globe
Annie Dillard has written eleven books, including the memoir of her parents, An American Childhood; the Northwest pioneer epic The Living; and the nonfiction narrative Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. A gregarious recluse, she is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
softball_megan08, December 19, 2007 (view all comments by softball_megan08)
This is a great piece of work by Dillard.
If you do not like books with out a specific plot, I would say that this book is not for you, but if you like books that analyze a part of life that is not thought of much, I would most deffinantly recommend this book.
Dillard writes about "becoming awake" which is essentially the period between the ignorance and carefree life a child leads to the responsibility and knowledge filled life of the older children and through out the rest of your life. Dillard tells stories of her own childhood and how they relate to this awakening period. She is amazing at describing this period and frightening and quick.
I really enjoyed the book and would deffinantly recommend it to my friends =)
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jlm05d, April 12, 2007 (view all comments by jlm05d)
An American Childhood is an amazing book. I had to read it for my English class and i fell in love with it. In the book I liked how Dillard talked about her involvement in the church; how she described the church members and her parents not going to church. It made me understand how she felt about the church. Overall the book is awesome and I would recommend it to any one
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (5 of 17 readers found this comment helpful)
"Review"
by Chicago Tribune,
"[An American Childhood] combines the child's sense of wonder with the adult's intelligence and is written in some of the finest prose that exists in contemporary America. It is a special sort of memoir that is entirely successful...This new book is [Annie Dillard's] best, a joyous ode to her own happy childhood."
"Review"
by New York Times,
"A remarkable work...an exceptionally interesting account."
"Review"
by Chicago Sun-Times,
"A vivid and thoughtful evocation of particular personal experiences that have an exuberantly timeless appeal."
"Review"
by Charlotte Observer,
"An American Childhood shimmers with the same rich detail, the same keen and often wry observations as her first book [Pilgrim at Tinker Creek]."
"Review"
by Boston Globe,
"By turns wry, provocative and sometimes breathtaking...This is a work marked by exquisite insight."
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