Memoir | Book Chatter

Accidental Lessons
By David W. Berner
Strategic Book Publishing
February 2009
174pp

Here’s the blurb from the publisher:

Berner had it all – a very successful career as a broadcast journalist and a wonderful family life. But his career hits a bump and he finds himself out of work. Life then delivers more trouble – his father becomes terminally ill and his marriage falls apart. In the middle of painful personal times, this respected journalist makes a decision that changes his life forever.

Berner takes a job in a public school outside Chicago where the students are representations of society’s “throw-aways.” What he learns from them teaches him invaluable lessons about himself, who he is, and why he became a journalist in the first place – to seek out the truth and give voice to those who need their story told.

The Short of It:

A positive, uplifting story. Crisply written, this one can be read in one sitting. You won’t want to put it down.

The Rest of It:

I can be a bit critical of memoirs. Many are overly done and poorly written. Not the case here. Berner presents his story in a positive, upbeat way without sugar-coating his personal downfalls. There’s a nice balance between his professional and personal life. Berner’s writing is tight and crisp…clean in a way. As I was reading, I could clearly hear his voice and his passion for teaching was evident. It’s very inspiring. Educators, journalists, mothers and fathers…this is a book that anyone can enjoy.

To read more about the author, click here to visit his website.

To listen to the author read a passage from Accidental Lessons, click here. He has a great voice but be warned, there is some graphic language so turn your speakers down a bit.

Source: This book was sent to me by the author, David W. Berner.

The Middle Place
By Kelly Corrigan
Publisher: Voice
Pub. Date: December 2008
ISBN-13: 9781401340933
288pp

Here’s the blurb from Barnes and Noble:

For Kelly Corrigan, family is everything. At thirty-six, she had a marriage that worked, two funny, active kids, and a weekly newspaper column. But even as a thriving adult, Kelly still saw herself as the daughter of garrulous Irish-American charmer George Corrigan. She was living deep within what she calls the Middle Place—”that sliver of time when parenthood and childhood overlap”—comfortably wedged between her adult duties and her parents’ care. But Kelly is abruptly shoved into coming-of-age when she finds a lump in her breast—and gets the diagnosis no one wants to hear. When George, too, learns that he has late-stage cancer, it is Kelly’s turn to take care of the man who had always taken care of her—and to show us a woman who finally takes the leap and grows up.

The Short of It:

A beautifully written memoir that touches the heart and leaves you wanting more. Funny, poignant, and incredibly moving. I could not put it down.

My Thoughts:

I read this book in the course of two days. Once I started it, I simply had to finish it. Kelly Corrigan is actually quite funny. She writes effortlessly and even though her story centers around her battle with cancer, it’s also very much a story about family and what it means to her. Her relationship with her father, Greenie, was so vividly described that I felt as if I knew him personally. This is a wonderful story of hope and perseverance. It’s incredibly uplifting and empowering as well. I laughed and cried. I just can’t say enough about this book.

This book was sent to me by Jennifer over at Book Club Girl in preparation for the Blog Talk show with the author. The show is scheduled for this Wednesday, 5/27 at 7pm EST. If you’d like to participate, click here for more information. I can’t wait to hear Kelly speak.

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