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I read "Naked in the Promised Land" in tandem with a more recent title by the same author, "My Mother's Wars" and highly recommend others do that as well. After reading an interview with Lillian Faderman in Tablet Magazine I Googled her and while I shouldn't have been, I was quite surprised to see lovely pin-up images between demure portrait pictures of the lauded professor. Naked in the Promised Land is a fascinating memoir, a coming of age story about a girl who, against all odds survives a difficult childhood and taxing adolescence to make it to the highest ranks of academia. You've got to love Lillian's spirit, the little Jewish girl in "pachuca-tight and short" skirt finding her way from East L.A. to the Borscht Belt and foot hills of Hollywood, and on to University. Powerful.

With "My Mother's Wars" the author tells a much broader story than just that of her mother's life in America as a first generation immigrant from Latvia. Her mother's first hand experience with the deplorable work situation in the textile industry (extra interesting in the light of the recent tragedy in the sweatshops in Bangladesh) and the way she got involved with the workers union is a compelling read. In an earlier memoir by the same author we're introduced to her mother as being a kind of nutty at times. In this book we find out what it is that drove her crazy. We read about the mother's romance with an impossible lover, and the the different kind of heartaches suffered by the working poor Jewish immigrants �"unable to bring their relatives over from Europe before WWII and during the Holocaust. Each chapter starts off with "Time on the March", snippets taken from 1930s and '40s news reels, followed by the author's mother's story. I've never before read anything that describes the heartache of American Jews during WWII as well. Faderman also shares some startling facts I wasn't aware of before, for instance about the number of Nazi training camps in the U.S. An important book, and a great read to boot.

Do you have any Native American story collections on your bookshelf? If yes, you've got to get this. Anyone interested in American, not just Native American history will enjoy this book. Most of us will know when we encounter an Algonquian place name, but how many are aware of the many Native American words that are part of mainstay in American English? The most well known is arguably Yankees. Yankees for the English right? But I didn't know Yankees comes from "Yengeese" the name for European visitors who spoke their Ma'am's tongue (okay, okay the queen's English), now the name of New York baseball players. Redundant info? Perhaps, but it does show how connected we are today to Native American language. Swann covers an astounding territory literally, historically and figuratively. I don't think there's another work this complete. While written by an academic, it's not an academic read, tip to the hat for Brian Swann. An American lit collection won't be complete without Algonquian Spirit —much more than a transcript of an oral tradition.

Don't miss this author appearance. Whether you're a Theologist, film buff/ lover or fan of Paul Verhoeven's movies, you'll be in for a surprise. The man who brought us Turkish Delight, Prince of Orange and The Black Book is as erudite as scholars come. Add the analytical mind of a mathematician, the questioning mind of a sceptic and the wit of ... ( you may fill that one in yourself). Want a good question for Q&A? Ask him whether/ how he made Robocop (yes he signed for that one as well) walk on water... As for the book - you're in the hands of a storyteller with a consciece, no made-up (good for film) facts, just a lot of good old speculation.

An honest memoir in which the author admits with one startling sentence toward the end of the book, how she and her brother missed out on the truly joyful and enjoyable person her mother became in her old age, because they were unable to see her as anything else but sad old Mom. A sullen warning for adult children to open their eyes to the transformation from parent to human being.

After reading At Home in the World by Joyce Maynard I have the feeling I now know more about the author and the famously reclusive Jerry Salinger than I should. Still there's something shamefully delicious about pouring over the lives of other people. Memoirs are per definition self involved, but when combining object with subject results in a compelling (auto-) biographical read, what is there to do, but just that: read.

The first 100 pages cover the author's parents' life before her birth and clarify why her famous father may have become the recluse he is. Ms. Salinger's rebuke at the address of biographer Ian Hamilton for suggesting that Salinger "didn't bother to become a professor", sheds clarifying light on the role that antisemitism played in her father's career and life. About her arrival in the world, Ms. Salinger writes: "I was on a collision course with my father's fiction." And while Salinger "became enchanted" with his baby daughter, that line pretty much sums up their relationship. For as becomes clear in reading Dream Catcher, Salinger's children were as much his inspiration as a source of irritation. As is often the case in memoirs written by children of famous parents, Ms. Salinger's has a tugging undertow of barely resolved issues, which contradict the supposed resolve of the main storyline. No wonder, for in the author-father's (neurotic) quest for perfection, the child can't but disappoint, even if that's what only the child perceives.

Fun and enlightening read. Mesmerized by the author's refreshing and intimate report on the world of food contests, and personal life, I at times gasped for air. Think Quaker at Festival of Dionysius. The author's dead pan delivery ("unimpassioned quality" as Publishers Weekly called it) is clearly fueled by motivation of simplicity, integrity, equality, community, and peace.

21 years ago I found a "well read" copy of Winter's Tale in a guesthouse in Deya on the isle of Mallorca. Never heard of the author before, and I thought I was past wanting to read "fantasy". Yet this (to me) unknown writer drew me into a world so imaginative, so enthralling, and so utterly believable, that I couldn't put it down, and then didn't want it to end.

Excellent companion guide for anyone caring for an aging parent who suffers from dementia. Apart from that a compelling memoir about children of the diaspora.

If I wrote that I couldn't put this book down, I'd be lying. 850 pages of the 1006 account for breathless reading. After that I kept on putting the book down because I couldn't stand reaching the end of this great read! Another minor problem was that the author had to mention now and then that Inspector Lynley had blond hair, while I can only think of Thommy as being dark haired (as is Nathaniel Parker in the role of Lynley in the BBC series).

The city in this book may be unnamed, new to Seattle, just learning my way in this hitherto unknown place where taking a wrong turn may set you back ten minutes or more from reaching your destination, I thought I recognized the Emerald City. Nicholas Dee became my estranged guide, taking me back across the ocean to the landscape of my childhood, the northern provinces of the Netherlands. Mesmerized by Stadler's story telling I was willing to follow him even if it was back in time both in his novel and my own memory of places visited IRL. Note that this book is now available in a new totally revised edition from Grove Press with an introduction by Michael Cunningham!

Firoozeh Dumas once again shows she's an entertaining storyteller. Laughing Without an Accent deserves a warning sticker on the cover: Taken in small dosages this material may be beneficial to your health. After reading Funny in Farci, and Laughing Without an Accent back to back, I knew I was ready for a more serious note by the same author when I realized that the two stories in Laughing Without an Accent that touched me deepest were the ones that did not make me laugh.

This slender volume is an eye opener. What on earth is she doing? I wondered eyeing the white space, the omitted texts. And then I got it. If our personal memory is fragmented already, the past for sure is. History is fragmented, blank spots may appear when looking back. Selah Saterstrom knows how to glance in the mirror sideways to catch the moments of truth that propel the story of four generations of women forward. The cover tells you the book is a novel, and novel it is, with it's combination of poetry prose poetry and prose, and thoughtful illustrations this small book is a gem of experimental writing. PS Mayor Powell's, I made a mistake with moniker of earlier entry and would like to add this comment to my dutchessabroad list. Thank you.

The author once again unloads a heavy burden, sharing the bare bones (pun intended) of her excruciatingly painful experience, in her signature brave manner. And yet there is not a moment that her story comes across as a "me, me, me" unloading of personal luggage. There aren't that many memoirists who manage to elevate the "I" to as high a literary level as Kathryn Harrison is capable of doing. Those of the readers who had to live with their mother's limitations will recognize much and may derive hope and solace from the author's shared accomplishments. The Mother Knot is transcendence in a most exquisite form. This slim book speaks volumes. Harrison's writing is crisp, clean, and clear. Her well crafted paragraphs, her choice of words and perhaps especially what she knows to leave out, drives each sentence home with the precision of a well aimed arrow, straight to the heart of the matter. I couldn't put this book down, not even while having breakfast, causing my poached egg to be salted by my own tears.

The stories by Firoozeh Dumas are beside funny also informative and enlightening. At a reading in Seattle she made the audience intermittently laugh and sigh. Dumas is a flawless writer and could be a stand-up comedian. Beyond being funny she's an ambassador to the Iranian People that Americans don't know exist, thanks or due to the news. When we take in “the News” we tend to forget the information we’re made privy of is not about the people in a land of question, the News is what makes headlines. It’s the inside stories of everyday people like you and me, and our neighbors that make up the fabric of the People, where ever they may make their homes, where ever they are from. Firoozeh Dumas brings it (or them) home! Oh, and by the way, as Dumas points out in her book, the title Funny in '"Farci" is (beside alliteration) a pun, it's like saying Funny in Espagnol, or Funny in Français.

The novella’s story, made memorable for a large audience thanks to the eery 1971 film adaption by Visconti, is a wonderful example of fiction triggered by life. The imagination of the author set free, yet dramatically guided by the classics. Michael Cunningham’ introduction to the latest translation of the novella by Michael Henry Heim in itself is of tremendous value for writers and readers alike. And on top of that, this particular publication (2004) is a beautiful little book.

Love story in the true romantic tradition —girl meets boy, falls in love, selflessly lets him go when her mutilation means degradation for him in society. Sacrifice for love. Oh! Actually Booh! Even Lucia despises women who would do that, and yet… More than a love story, Lucia's Eyes is a voyage through history from the Italian country side, through Paris to Amsterdam. The reader is seduced into following Lucia (or Gallaté) where ever she goes, whether it's a gala for the upper crust, the world of enlightened women, or a den for poor street prostitutes. In the end it's about transcendence, making something good come out of something bad. This book is alive with images, each scene is painted in suitable colors, from exquisite to rancid and vile, back to realistic and even rosy flesh colors.

Eva, the youngest of four siblings, three sisters and a brother, would like to believe in the goodness of her mother, but the eldest sister knows better, their mother is not worth their father's care and adoration. And she'll make sure that everybody thinks as she does. As a reader you know the truth has to be more nuanced than the oldest girl assumes. It isn't until the very end of the book that the misconception of what really was going on in the life of the family becomes clear. It wouldn't be fair to reader nor author to give away the clue. But there's no hardship in reading the whole book from beginning to end in order to find out what went on. Freud paints a gorgeous picture peopled by characters, each of them with a whole range of emotions. She paints with words the way her father does with oil.

If you don't have time to go on vacation, and you want to walk side by side with a precocious 17-year-old, or better yet hide in the straw hat of a open minded young woman, this is your chance for an exciting holiday in Tuscany. Lara, eyes, ears and heart wide open, shares her observations of well-to-do aristocratic Brits; long time comradery, but also betrayal, and callous behavior of spoiled offspring without being judgmental. Along the way we learn, as she does why the father she didn't get to know until this trip, turned out to be the way he is. Once again Freud delves deep into her rich family vault to uncover a gem of a novel.

This book needs to, no deserves to be read out loud. As Juneteenth by Ellison the voices of Allen's characters are filled with music. A modern classic.

This book grew out of an article Linda Grant wrote for The Guardian about her experience with local government and other agencies while she and her sister were trying to get her mother who was suffering from a certain kind of dementia to move from her home to a care facility. While the events take place in the U.K. baby boomers any where in the (Western) world who are looking at role reversal, will relate. A second story line uncovers part of the history of Grant's East European family who landed in Great Britain instead of in the United States (as was her grandfather's aim). Grant writes without sentimentality about heart rendering subjects.

Jhumpa Lahiri has the uncanny ability to introduce the reader immediately to what the story is all about and still have you reading breathlessly wondering what's going to happen. How will the characters solve the predicament they're in? What more will the author surprise me with? In one of the stories from the Interpreter of Maladies, A Temporary Matter, Lahiri takes the reader into all the rooms of a well kept home in which the heart stopped beating after the stillbirth of a first baby. The woman and the man each have been in mourning for six months, moving further and further away from each other, when City Light announces an hour of darkness each night for a week. During this hour the couple tells each other secrets they've never shared before. Lahiri's answer to Sherazade's 1000 nights perhaps, she has both woman and man do the talking. Each getting equal opportunity to save their marriage and their own sanity. The darkness, shared meals and intimacy brings them closer together again after the loss had driven them apart. The main characters may be of East Indian decent, the story is universal, about love, loss, grief and recovery, painted in the vibrant colors of the author's cultural heritage.