Biographies are popular choices for readers at the Library. We have responded by creating a Biography Area at each branch to highlight them and encourage browsing. What is the strong appeal? As a reader myself, I would say that biographies give one the opportunity to experience another person’s journey- their inner landscape. To borrow a line from the moving poem by Mary T. Lathrap they allow one to “take the time to walk a mile in his moccasins” while reading, and the results are revelatory and enriching. For that reason I have chosen to share several interesting autobiographies in this article, all of which have been written by women. Each one tells a story of challenge, personal growth and ultimately triumph over adversity. It is a diverse list in terms of the ages, cultures and experiences of the writers but at the heart of each story is a female who has demonstrated courage and faced her adversity with wit, grace and an utter lack of self-pity.
Fatty Legs: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton; Liz Amini-Holmes, illustrator, Annick Press.
Margaret Pokiak was born on a small island far north of the Arctic Circle. When she was a child it was her most fervent wish to learn to read and she begged her family to let her attend school. This is her memoir of life in residential school where she faced bullying, cultural disconnect and mistreatment along with her learning but what it also is about is the strong will and indomitable spirit of the young girl who faced down her tormentor. The beautiful paintings of Liz Amini-Holmes enhance the poignant story. It was written for children but is too good to not be shared with all ages.
This Star Won’t Go Out: The Life and Words of Ester Earl by Ester Earl with Lori and Wayne Earl. Dutton Books
This autobiography is rather unique in that it was created after the untimely death of the author at age sixteen. The story of Ester Earl, a hope-filled, intelligent and engaging girl is told through photographs, journal entries, essays and online posts as well as with commentary from many of the people that she touched in person, or online through her nerdfighter advocacy and her sharing of her courageous struggle with thyroid cancer. It has an introduction by John Green who dedicated his best-selling young adult book The Fault is in Our Stars to Ester. You will have a deeper appreciation for life after reading it.
No One to Tell: Breaking My Silence on Life in the RCMP by Janet Merlo. Breakwater Books.
Janet joined the RCMP hoping to make a difference in people’s lives but left after enduring 20 years of sexual harassment, stress and disillusionment. It is a brave account and she is clear-minded about the abuse of power. She has written this for her own healing and understanding and for others who might face a similar situation.
Projection: Encounters With My Runaway Mother by Priscila Uppal. Dundurn Press
With a poet’s insight and ability to evoke emotion the author describes her unforgettable story of reuniting with her mother twenty years after that mother had abandoned her two young children and a husband who had become paraplegic. During ten turbulent and surreal days together in South America she found more surprises than answers and even though it ends with a second abandonment the story is ultimately redemptive.
I discovered each of these books on the library shelves and they are all available to borrow for free at your Thunder Bay Public Library. I hope that you might enjoy one of them or perhaps discover something equally intriguing in the Biography collection. A Library is filled with thousands of stories – thousands of women’s lives described, thousands of women’s and girls’ voices waiting to be heard.
Angela Meady
Read the entire May 2015 edition of Women online here.
No comments:
Post a Comment