Thursday, June 03, 2010

Lit by Mary Karr

I have read a lot of books since my last blog entry but I think Lit
is one of my all time favorites. In general, I have avoided reading memoirs because it seems like such a shallow and narcissistic genre- does anyone else really care to know that much about you? Apparently, in some cases, YES if you have a compelling story, like Mary Karr.
When I saw that Mary Karr was coming to Traverse City for the National Writers Series, I decided to finally break down and read Liar's Club, her first book of memoir published 10 years ago. I figured that if I was going buy a ticket to hear her speak, I should have read at least one of her books. To my surprise, I quickly found myself hooked on her style, her humor and, especially her story. Lit is the third "installment" of her life story and it has convinced me that memoir can be a powerful and entertaining form of literature. I was halfway through Lit when Dave and I went to hear her talk about her work at the TC Opera House and we were not disappointed! We thoroughly enjoyed her candor, easy style, wit and insights about her struggle to overcome a hellish past (i.e. dsyfuncional family, sexual abuse, alcoholism and addiction) through sheer determination and discovering a spirituality within herself that she never knew was there.
I recommend this one for Dave, Amanda and Becky.

2 comments:

Amanda Amos said...

I can't wait to read this one!

Dave said...

I should have commented long ago. Liked your post and liked the book. Good call.