An Accidental Autobiography

Rating:
Summary: Hated it and loved it.
Review: Harrison's book is a potpourri of insights and reflections on the life of an educated American woman, literature, art, culture, and travel.

In many places, I felt that Harrison repeated the obvious, reiterating the messages of earlier and equally (if not more) perceptive writers. For example, commenting on Fay Weldon's insights about women and fat, Harrison writes: "Fat is a dulling wall between you and the pain of reality; fat is a comfort, an excuse, and an escape from sex." I know this. I've known it for decades. I'm a voracious reader, writer, and connoisseur of insights. I get irritated when people explain things at length that I already know or have figured out on my own.

On the other hand, I was extremely moved by her descriptions of her mother--so much like my own bitter, critical mother. And I found her revelations about her long-standing relationship with a black man riveting and comforting. It shed light on a failed long-term relationship I had with an African-American man. It explains to me why this love will always be in my heart, even though the man is gone.

I have to conclude that the parts of her book that irritate me (much of it) reflect my own issues more than Barbara Harrison's skills as a thinker and writer. Otherwise, how could the other parts have hit home so accurately?

Rating:
Summary: Hated it and loved it.
Review: Harrison's book is a potpourri of insights and reflections on the life of an educated American woman, literature, art, culture, and travel.

In many places, I felt that Harrison repeated the obvious, reiterating the messages of earlier and equally (if not more) perceptive writers. For example, commenting on Fay Weldon's insights about women and fat, Harrison writes: "Fat is a dulling wall between you and the pain of reality; fat is a comfort, an excuse, and an escape from sex." I know this. I've known it for decades. I'm a voracious reader, writer, and connoisseur of insights. I get irritated when people explain things at length that I already know or have figured out on my own.

On the other hand, I was extremely moved by her descriptions of her mother--so much like my own bitter, critical mother. And I found her revelations about her long-standing relationship with a black man riveting and comforting. It shed light on a failed long-term relationship I had with an African-American man. It explains to me why this love will always be in my heart, even though the man is gone.

I have to conclude that the parts of her book that irritate me (much of it) reflect my own issues more than Barbara Harrison's skills as a thinker and writer. Otherwise, how could the other parts have hit home so accurately?

Rating:
Summary: Loved this one
Review: I love the writings of the late Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, especially her "Accidental Autobiography."

Question: Does anyone know who the man she refers to as "Jazzman" actually was?

I have been trying to find out for years.

Did she or her loved ones ever make this information known? Or did they want it kept confidential?

Rating:
Summary: An Exhilarating Collection
Review: This is one of the finest collections of essays in contemporary American letters. It has guts and razzle-dazzle, honesty and passion. I love the risky leaps Grizzuti Harrison takes.