The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

Genre: Nonfiction Memoir
Publisher, Year: Voice, 2008
Flags: Adult themes
Rating: B, or Flawed But Decent
Premise: Kelly Corrigan finds a lump in her breast. Before she knows it, she’s living the nightmare of cancer. And while in the midst of her treatment, she receives another blow, her father has also been diagnosed with cancer. Kelly takes us on her journey as she finds courage and love and peace with the hand she’s been dealt.

This book did not turn out to be exactly what I had expected, but I still thought it was alright, for the following reasons:

It gave me great insight into what it must be like to go through getting and fighting cancer. Kelly, the author, finds out she has a large tumor in her breast, and then has chemo and radiation therapy. Also, her father, with whom she is very close, is diagnosed with cancer soon after. It was interesting to read about her thoughts and feelings going through the process, having to face her mortality, and learning how to cope through treatment, hoping for the best. I think it helped me a lot to understand what it would be like to go through such a trying experience. It was also interesting to see how her other family members coped: her brothers, her husband, her mother, her +/-

father, and her extended family. To see how their views differed, and how they could work together to help one another find peace and hope.

I enjoyed her and her family's sense of humor throughout her ordeal. And even though there were many, many sobering moments, I felt like Kelly's sense of humor was always an important part of her "treatment," perhaps not the treatment of her cancer, but her "spiritual" treatment. Especially her happy-go-lucky, overly-friendly father, who loves to give everyone a nickname and tell jokes. (He calls Kelly "Lovey" and her husband "Ark," since he's from Arkansas. Also, there are many nicknames involving "o" at the end.)

Facing the possibility of death is something I find hard to imagine, since I've never been through it. She was so young when she was diagnosed, with a young husband and even younger daughters. She would be leaving behind a full life that she would never get the chance to live. At the same time, it almost seemed as though the possibility of her father's death devastated her even more than the thought of her own. I think she captures the hurt and anger that come with these sort of tragedies so well, and it really resonated with me. Sometimes life is so unfair, it's hard to find meaning in it. And yet, she is able to.

This book has been marketed as a "coming of age" story, but that didn't seem like a very good description when I finished it. It does include alternating stories between Kelly's childhood and her adult life, and she frequently talks about how she is reluctant to really "grow up." But, I didn't really see a change in Kelly from beginning to end. More than just anecdotes, I wish I could've seen into the heart of Kelly's ability to "rise above" her illness and to accept her "new life" as a cancer survivor, which she definitely did.

It is a great story about family, and I think a very candid one at that, as well. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Three Cups of Tea by Mortenson and Relin

Genre: Nonfiction
Publisher, Year: Penguin, 2007
Other Works: Listen to the Wind (picture book)
Rating: A+, or Must Read Now!
Premise: Greg Mortenson was a mountain climber. After failing to summit K2, he finds himself in the hospitality of a remote village. He notices one thing that he must change: there is no school for the children.

Three Cups of Tea chronicles an amazing journey, requiring equal parts bravery and determination. I can't even imagine doing something like this with my life, but what a difference one life can make. Wow.

Mortenson, a seasoned mountain climber, fails to summit K2, one of the world's tallest peaks. He gets lost on his delirious trek down and finds his way to a small Pakistani village called Korphe. There, as the villagers kindly nurse him back to health, he learns that the children do not have a school. He promises these people who have been so kind to him that he will return and build a school for them. As Mortenson becomes more and more involved with Pakistan, this one school turns into many as he boldly takes on the challenge to educate Pakinstan's youth. Mortenson takes us on his journey of triumphs and setbacks in his quest. +/-

At the end, it made me wonder how this little seed of an idea (the school in Korphe) grew into this life-long passion. Honestly, I can't imagine being this passionate about something; it's really remarkable. I enjoyed the voice and language of the author, and how he kind of turned it into a story with interjected quotations. The descriptions, I felt, were very rich. It made the book read more like a novel, which was fun.

I never realized how difficult it is to start a non-profit and keep it going. Juggling the work to be done, trying to recruit donors, managing what is effectively a business, all while trying to improve conditions in what can be a hostile environment--a tall order by any standards. That's what so great about this story though. I feel like the author didn't try to hide what was hard or what Mortenson's weaknesses were, while at the same time praising his strengths and incredible sacrifices.

The story wasn't told looking through rose-colored glasses, so to speak. It also revealed Mortenson's neglect of his own family, his inability to manage a business, and the people who created seemingly insurmountable problems for him. But then, told how these obstacles were overcome. At almost every point in the story I thought, "Ok, that's it--this is where it's all going to fall apart." But it didn't, because of one man's commitment and because of the people who allowed themselves to be led by his vision.

I can't say enough about how impressed I was with Mortenson's courage. He put himself into impossible and dangerous circumstances time and time again. It was amazing to see him push forward, no matter what happened. He was undaunted. I'm sure there were difficult days for him when he felt like giving up, but he always bounced back with amazing optomisim and love for the people he worked so hard for. It was really incredible to see how that determination can bring about success. He never accepted failure, no matter how bleak things looked.

Most of all, I enjoyed the stories of actual people and their families in Pakistan. The personal touch of getting to know about someone and their struggles and triumphs. I feel like I know the people of Korphe personally, and all the other Pakistanis Mortenson worked with so closely. When I read about Parvi or Baig or Haji Ali, I get a warm feeling in my heart for them. =) It just teaches me that no matter where you go in the world there are good people to be found, who have as much integrity and courage to fight for what's right and good as could ever be found in mankind.

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I really enjoyed this book. I think, partly, the reason for this is that I love the idea of a spiritual journey, and I was captivated by Liz’s spiritual and emotional transformation. Liz is a writer, and after suffering through a difficult and painful divorce, she finds herself hitting rock bottom. She feels deflated and alone and unable to cope with her unhappiness. I can relate; can’t we all?

Liz does seek professional help for her depression, but in addition to that , she gets the idea to embark on a year-long trip to the three I’s (Italy, India, and Indonesia) for further rehabilitation from this disastrous time in her life. In Italy, she learns the meaning of pleasure; in India, she learns the meaning of prayer; and in Indonesia, she learns a hodge-podge of things, including the meanings of balance and love. +/-

I have to say that my favorite part of her trip was her time in Italy. (Perhaps that is telling of my own personality!) In Italy, Liz completely lets go of every worry. She allows herself to RELAX and to focus on nothing else but to chase the next pleasure, which revolve around eating, site-seeing, and speaking Italian, a language that she feels sets her soul free.

But I also enjoyed her anecdotes from India: her struggle to meditate and quiet her mind/fears, her straight-talking friend who calls her on the carpet, her release of painful experiences to God’s hands. It’s like you see Liz transform before your eyes in this section, from a struggling, pleasure-seeking, insecure girl, to a sensible, humble, and centered woman.

The last section was my least favorite. It didn’t feel like it had a theme running through as the others did. Liz didn’t have “goals” set out as she did in the previous two sections. She just went to Indonesia (Bali) and let life sort of take over. Although the section was still enjoyable, I didn’t feel as inspired by her experiences.

After the first two sections, I thought to myself how wonderful it would be to be able to leave everything about your life behind and to focus on one thing at a time, and only that one thing. To sort of shine one part of yourself until it gleams, and then move on to the next, systematically, until you shine all over. I’ve only been able to do this one time in my life, and I have to say, it does cause reflection and reinvention of self to take place.

I loved how Liz gave herself over to this reinvention, and how obviously you can tell that she is in fact a changed woman by the end. I also enjoyed her proactive spirit. She was unhappy, so she came up with a plan to turn her life around, even if it meant making changes and letting go of bad habits. It made me jealous of her. It made me want to follow in her footsteps. The writing was superb—like a well-prepared dessert. It was a page-turner for me, which I think is hard to do with a memoir. I would definitely recommend this book!