Small Fry by Lisa Brennan Jobs
Don’t be mistaken, Small Fry is not a celebrity memoir. Small Fry is the exquisitely written story of a young girl longing for a relationship with a father who is alternately embracing and cruel, generous and withholding, magnanimous and selfish. It’s the story of a young girl looking for a family and a place to belong. Her mother, Chrisann, tells her “He loves you . . . He just doesn’t know he loves you.” Later, Lisa would hear that he carried a picture of her around in his wallet and pull it out at dinner parties claiming she wasn’t his kid, “But she doesn’t have a father, so I’m trying to be there for her.” Sporadically throughout her childhood, Jobs would stop by to take Lisa and Chrisann out to dinner or take Lisa roller skating around the neighborhood.
Walking the Old Road, A People's History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe by Staci Lola Drouillard
In Walking the Old Road, A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe, author Staci Lola Drouillard tells the stories of a community of 200 Anishinaabe families at the turn of the century. Beginning in 1987, Drouillard had the prescience to begin interviewing Chippewa City elders preserving for future generations what would have certainly been a lost history. Through these first-person accounts, Drouillard evokes the place, the people, and the way of life that formed the spirit of our community.
The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee
Hyeonseo Lee’s escape from North Korea was harrowing, but with great courage and ingenuity, she was able to assist her family’s escape as well. The best memoirs shine a light on a life that becomes a beacon for others. Hyeonseo’s determination in the face of great adversity is both heartbreaking and inspiring and it made me appreciative of the freedom that I enjoy.
The Shallows by Matt Goldman
As an Emmy-award winning writer for Seinfeld and the Ellen Show, Goldman has an ear for dialogue. His comedic roots are showcased in Nils Shapiro and in this installment, we get to know Nils on a deeper, more personal level. Goldman shines more light on the relationship between Nils and Micaela, which ups the ante for the next installment