Tag Archives: memoir

China Adoption Book Review Series: China Ghosts

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Like Karin Evans, author of The Lost Daughters of China, Jeff Gammage is a journalist. His memoir, written seven years after Evans’, is entitled China Ghosts: My Daughter’s Journey to America, my Journey to Fatherhood. The title is apt: while Gammage credits Kay Ann Johnson, author of Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son: Abandonment and Orphanage Care in China with helping him understand the context of his daughter’s story, his own book focuses much more tightly on his story and his daughter’s. Gammage and his wife Christine adopted a two year old in Aug 2002. His memoir is valuable for … Continue reading →

Book Review: The Mistress’ Daughter

A.M. Homes remembers waking as a young child sobbing for her “other mother”. Although she was adopted as an infant, some part of her yearned for the parents from whom she came. Many adoptees do the same. But what if, when you find these long dreamed-of parents, they have feet very much made of clay? Novelist and short-story writer Homes, whose fiction works include The Safety of Objects and Music for Torching, writes her own story in The Mistress’ Daughter. It’s a not-often-told story that will be of interest to many adoptees. Certainly many birthparents, such as those profiled in … Continue reading →

Counting Blessings – Kerry Blair

Best-selling LDS fiction author Kerry Blair tries her hand at nonfiction in “Counting Blessings,” a newly released collection of thoughts and musings from Kerry’s creative brain. I had the opportunity to pick up a few copies at my local bookstore before they were even on the shelf – they had to go get them out of the box for me, they were so new. We start the collection with “It’s About Time,” as Kerry thinks about her upcoming birthday and the significance we tend to put on time. “My Mother’s Days Are All Wet” tells us of the experiences she’s … Continue reading →

Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading – Maureen Corrigan

Maureen Corrigan is a book reviewer for National Public Radio’s Fresh Air program, and as such, reads scads of books. In her nonfiction memoir “Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading,” she shares her insights into literature and the many ways in which books have touched her life and indeed all of our lives. Because of the very literary and educated tone of her writing, I expected Maureen to say that she prefers to read highbrow literature, but I was surprised to hear her say that her favorite books are hard-boiled detective novels. She does read and review a variety, however, and … Continue reading →

Tori’s Tell-All

Well, she certainly is lacking material. That’s what I thought when I first heard actress Tori Spelling is planning to write a memoir about her privileged childhood and well-documented adult years. This on top of her other “entertainment” project: running a bed and breakfast with husband Dean McDermott for an upcoming Oxygen network series. According to PEOPLE magazine, Simon & Schuster plans to publish the book by the former “Beverly Hills 90210” star and expectant mom. I had to chuckle when I read that Spelling told USA Today that she plans to write her book when “the baby is napping.” … Continue reading →

Celebrating 6 Years With Chuck E. Cheese

My son turned six on Saturday. It was a birthday I both looked forward to and felt a bit nostalgic about. After all, six meant so many things—the end of the “are you going to school?” questions, the end of buying clothes in the toddler section, and the end of…well, an era so to speak. But turning six also meant so many other things. First, it was my son’s first “class” birthday party. It was the first birthday party where people other than his family would be there to celebrate with him, and it was a BIG deal. I decided … Continue reading →

Taking Care of Your Baby When YOU’RE Sick

Taking care of your baby when you’re sick can seem impossible. I remember when my son was nine-weeks-old, I got a stomach virus and literally could not hold him for three days. It was terrible. My husband had to take off work and all I could do was lay in the fetal position myself, while he took care of our baby. I was lucky that time that he was able to take the time off work. Usually there’s a one-day limit. If I’m really really sick, he can take off one day, but that’s it. Tell me, who gets better … Continue reading →

New Parenthood

My brother and his girlfriend are being induced tonight. They will soon be the proud parents to my niece, Abigayle Marie. I spoke to them tonight on the telephone and wanted to tell them so much. It was hard to hold back. I wanted to tell them what it’s like to hold your baby in your arms for the first time. To hear her first cry, to feel her fingers and her toes in your hands, to rest her head upon your chest. I wanted to tell them that the first few days of parenthood can be exhilarating, exhausting, and … Continue reading →