Homesick : A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: In my own thoughts I felt...
Review: This book is truely amazing. I cannot express all of my feelings towards it. To flip through the pages of Homesick and read of all of Sela's discoveries, embarkments, and life alterments was none other than exciting. I had known "of" Sela from "Once and Again" and from some of her movies but this book showed me more. It is probably hard to really describe one's life in a book, including describing one's own life, but Sela tackled the task and completed it. It's a book that no one, who is a fan of Sela, could skip reading, let alone put down for a second, while reading. I never stopped. True essence at heart.

Rating:
Summary: A loving tribute to a Southern childhood
Review: This memoir by actress Sela Ward is just delightful and beautifully written. Born in 1956 in Meridian, Mississippi, Sela was the eldest of four children born to a homemaker and an electrical engineer. She grew up in an atmosphere of warmth and security but also one of strict Southern mores and manners. As she moved from high school to young adulthood, Sela knew that remaining in Meridian would never satisfy her as she longed to experience life in a big city. After college she moved to New York, much to her parent's dismay, and then on to Los Angeles where she found the fame by which she is now known. It was only when she decided to settle down to marry and raise a family of her own that Sela experienced an overwhelming urge to return to her Southern roots. She and her husband then returned to Meridian to make a home for themselves and their two young children.

If you were born and raised in the Deep South, then reading Sela's memoir will feel just like old home week. I found myself smiling many times as I read of her childhood experiences, as they are very similar to my own. She writes with an easy and open style and her descriptions of growing up in Southern society with its emphasis on reputation, family and manners are right on the money. The book includes a wonderful array of family photos. Sela's mother, father, brothers and sister were strikingly attractive people and it was very enjoyable to see the family resemblance. One photo that will especially hit home with Southern football fans is a humorous one of Sela posing with Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant during the time she was a cheerleader at the University of Alabama. The caption is hilarious! There are also beautiful photos of her from her modeling and early acting days as well as ones of her husband, Howard, and their children.

This is a very lovely and often poignant memoir from a very lovely and gracious Southern woman. I highly recommend it! And Sela, if you are reading this now, would you like to come over and have a cup of coffee with me? It would be my pleasure!