Who is your personal
hero? I have a lot of family members
that have meant a lot to me through the years.
My grandparents and great-grandparents have been my heroes and my
Great-Aunt Delores was a hero. I’ve learned
from them all and have hopefully become a better person.
Elizabeth McCracken’s
hero was her mother. Their relationship
was fraught at times, but she played an important role in her life. Some of her life lessons were not realized
until she was gone. In The Hero of This Book, McCracken’s memoir explores a
trip that she took to London after her mother’s death. As she travels around town, it brings back
memories of a previous trip she had made with her mother to London. McCracken works through her grief as she
remembers both the good and the bad about her mother.
I found the memories and
vignettes to be interesting and touching.
The revelations of the strength that her mother had in order to live
with a disability were revealed little by little as the story progressed. The format of the book was interesting as
well as the author puzzles about the writing process and what make up a memoir. Is it respectful to write about someone that
is gone if they never wanted to be written about?
Favorite Quotes:
“Bereaved. That I’d own up to. Bereaved suggests the shadow of a missing one,
while grief insists, you’re all alone.
In London I was bereaved and haunted.”
“We all have our
memories, and a memoir is one person’s.
What’s the difference between a novel and memoir? I couldn’t tell you. Permission to lie; permission to cast aside
worries about plausibility.”
“’You’re a good kid. You must have a wonderful mother.’ That wasn’t the last thing she said to me,
but it was close.”
Review Copy from Harper
Collins as part of the Bibliolifestyle Book Tour. Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of
this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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