Travels with Michael Crichton is on my nightstand flirting with me to pick it up. I'm afraid if I succumb to the book's nasty propositions, we'll be up all night trying to finish what we started. Sometimes some stories are just too entertaining to set aside and this romantic innuendo started my typical random line of thinking.
With the addition of the Kindle and ease of downloading entire libraries to your iPhone, I thought you might enjoy a few thoughts on a great travel companion, the memoir. While not a huge fan of the memoir, there are a few very noteworthy tell-all tales that will suck you in and make that
transatlantic flight seem like a vacation by itself.
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway- His comfortable writing style makes you feel like your sitting in a 1920's cafe across from the Sorbonne with the likes of Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Keenly aware of his expatriate status and Fitzgerald's self-defeating character and Stein's sense of value, Hemingway takes us on a series of entertaining tales that offers us a chance to gain a glimpse of his perspective. Published posthumously in 1964, the memoir was probably heavily edited by his widow, but Hemingway drips from its pages.
The Strawberry Statement by James Simon Kunen- 1968 was a culturally troubling time for many including Kunen who was at Columbia University. The university students were outraged over Vietnam and the construction of a racially segregated gym. The memoir chronicles the students uprising on campus and his participation in said events including being chased by club-wielding police.
The Crack-Up by F. Scott Fitzgerald- Mostly a collection of essays compiled by his editor in 1940 shortly after the author's death. "Of course all life is a process of breaking down..." These first lines of the first essay give the reader a sense of what's to come, Fitzgerald's self-destructing relationship with his wife, Zelda, and alcohol. The writings generally accumulated during Fitzgerald's "down" years gives us great insight into his faltering life.
Walking Through the Fire: A Hospital Journey by Laurel Lee- Six months pregnant and with a nagging cough, Lee went numb when her doctor uttered the word, "tumor." After returning from the hospital after her latest bout with Hodgkin's, she discovers that her husband is going to leave her for the babysitter. She writes to heal. Her struggles with faith and her spiritual journey to recovery fill the central portion of the memoir. At some point she begins to share her writings with her doctor. He sends them on to an editor friend, the memoir is published and she becomes a best-seller. Pancreatic cancer eventually beats Lee, but the courageous fighter makes it to 58.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer- This account of the deadly 1996 climbing season up Mt. Everest is mesmerizing. Krakauer who is both a writer and climber journals a poignant tale that was instantly disputed by others on the same climb. What I find too ironic is within 18 months after Into Thin Air is published the very people who disputed Krakauer's version of the '96 climbing season died on subsequent assents.
With the addition of the Kindle and ease of downloading entire libraries to your iPhone, I thought you might enjoy a few thoughts on a great travel companion, the memoir. While not a huge fan of the memoir, there are a few very noteworthy tell-all tales that will suck you in and make that
transatlantic flight seem like a vacation by itself.A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway- His comfortable writing style makes you feel like your sitting in a 1920's cafe across from the Sorbonne with the likes of Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Keenly aware of his expatriate status and Fitzgerald's self-defeating character and Stein's sense of value, Hemingway takes us on a series of entertaining tales that offers us a chance to gain a glimpse of his perspective. Published posthumously in 1964, the memoir was probably heavily edited by his widow, but Hemingway drips from its pages.
The Strawberry Statement by James Simon Kunen- 1968 was a culturally troubling time for many including Kunen who was at Columbia University. The university students were outraged over Vietnam and the construction of a racially segregated gym. The memoir chronicles the students uprising on campus and his participation in said events including being chased by club-wielding police.
The Crack-Up by F. Scott Fitzgerald- Mostly a collection of essays compiled by his editor in 1940 shortly after the author's death. "Of course all life is a process of breaking down..." These first lines of the first essay give the reader a sense of what's to come, Fitzgerald's self-destructing relationship with his wife, Zelda, and alcohol. The writings generally accumulated during Fitzgerald's "down" years gives us great insight into his faltering life.
Walking Through the Fire: A Hospital Journey by Laurel Lee- Six months pregnant and with a nagging cough, Lee went numb when her doctor uttered the word, "tumor." After returning from the hospital after her latest bout with Hodgkin's, she discovers that her husband is going to leave her for the babysitter. She writes to heal. Her struggles with faith and her spiritual journey to recovery fill the central portion of the memoir. At some point she begins to share her writings with her doctor. He sends them on to an editor friend, the memoir is published and she becomes a best-seller. Pancreatic cancer eventually beats Lee, but the courageous fighter makes it to 58.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer- This account of the deadly 1996 climbing season up Mt. Everest is mesmerizing. Krakauer who is both a writer and climber journals a poignant tale that was instantly disputed by others on the same climb. What I find too ironic is within 18 months after Into Thin Air is published the very people who disputed Krakauer's version of the '96 climbing season died on subsequent assents.
On the Road by Jack Kerouac- What can I say about this great American travel memoir that hasn't already been said. Written in 1951, this Beat Generation author rambles about his spontaneous road trips in mid-century America. Kerouac's character, Sal, is the quintessential sojourner.
Pick of the Day(13-5-0)...Yanks
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