Memoirs of a Middle Child

Rating:
Summary: Miles Apart!
Review: *Memoirs of a Middle Child* by Louise C. Vorhaus takes the reader a measured mile towards understanding a family illness all too common today in the United States. She tracks it from its origin half a century ago to the havoc it brought to all of those around her. Take three siblings. An auto accident mentally and physically injures the beloved youngest girl. The aftermath of those few seconds of grinding steel leave mother, father, and the two older sisters cast in roles they are not equipped to handle. If only the mother or father could have had the insight to seek counseling for the five of them so as to offset the inevitable post-traumatic consequences. If only the two sisters could somehow have been identical twins, of identical mindset, with identical ways of handling crisis and stress. However, neither the parents nor the siblings are able to put the pieces back together again. While the middle sister faces the tragedy head on, the older sister's approach is one of distancing and denial. It's a compelling story, told with candor from the viewpoint of the middle child. It's a story told in the autumn years of life, after the sand has all run through. Not a chance you'd recognize the symptoms in your own family circle, is there? But if you do, then turn yourself into a spider on the wall and observe how the mess you're in is destined to end. Sure there are textbooks you can read if you prefer. However, good case histories don't come along every day. When it comes down to push and shove, sometimes understanding what went wrong is the best way for most of us to get things right.

Rating:
Summary: Personal and Political Realities Meet
Review: I'm not sure what I like best about this book, because it really offers two different things, and both are quite touching in their way. On one hand, I got a glimpse inside a real and troubled relationship among three sisters, one of whom is rendered paraplegic by an accident in her teen years. I almost felt like a voyeur, I must admit, as I read about the conflicts and heartaches that that accident caused. At the same time, Memoirs gave me a look at a society I knew nothing about: St. Louis, Missouri, in the middle of the 20th century - a surprisingly racist and anti-Semitic place in its own genteel, self-denying, semi-Southern way. A real eye-opener, believe me.

The thing about a memoir like this is that it has to be both personal and universal to work (at least to work for me). Memoirs of a Middle Child really works well on both levels, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who finds (as I do) real life to be profoundly more stimulating than fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Personal and Political Realities Meet
Review: I'm not sure what I like best about this book, because it really offers two different things, and both are quite touching in their way. On one hand, I got a glimpse inside a real and troubled relationship among three sisters, one of whom is rendered paraplegic by an accident in her teen years. I almost felt like a voyeur, I must admit, as I read about the conflicts and heartaches that that accident caused. At the same time, Memoirs gave me a look at a society I knew nothing about: St. Louis, Missouri, in the middle of the 20th century - a surprisingly racist and anti-Semitic place in its own genteel, self-denying, semi-Southern way. A real eye-opener, believe me.

The thing about a memoir like this is that it has to be both personal and universal to work (at least to work for me). Memoirs of a Middle Child really works well on both levels, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who finds (as I do) real life to be profoundly more stimulating than fiction.