JENNY ROUGH | WRITER

This Life Is In Your Hands

As much as I love memoir–and I do love it–sometimes I’m ready for the book to end. Memoir is hard to wrap up because it’s life. And even when a writer shares a lesson she’s learned (or unlearned), the struggle she’s writing about usually isn’t over. The wrestling match with oneself might mature, but it often continues. I like the fact that memoir can’t be bottled up in a container, and I’ll stick with a book I enjoy to the very last word (and by that, I mean to the bottom of the acknowledgments). But I can get antsy. Not this book. Instead of sliding from great to good, This Life Is In Your Hands went from good to great. It’s the author‘s story of growing up on a homestead in Maine. Because she was so young and her memory incomplete, she worked hard to discover the missing pieces through research, interviews, and diaries. I enjoyed this article about her writing process. What books are you reading over July 4? I’m swinging by the bookstore tomorrow and hope I find another gem.