In Their Shoes Reading Challenge

In Their Shoes Reading Challenge

When: January 1 - December 31, 2009
What: Read memoirs, biographies, autobiographies







My list:

• Michael J. Fox. Lucky Man -- finished 1/21/2009
• Howard Norman. In Fond Remembrance of Me -- finished 2/14/2009
• Sir Francis Chichester. Gipsy Moth Circles the Earth -- finished 7/7/2009
• Augusten Burroughs. Running with Scissors

Gipsy Moth Circles the World by Sir Francis Chichester

First sentence:

"This is a fairy story for me."

Description:

"Here is a magnificent book to match a magnificent venture -- Sir Francis Chichester's personal account of the extraordinary feat that captured the imagination of the world. Told in his own colorful words and illustrated with his own photographs, some taken by remote control of himself in action, the book literally takes the reader aboard the Gipsy Moth IV throughout the entire fabulous voyage." -- from the inside flap

My thoughts:

Sir Francis Chichester tells a fascinating and detailed story of his historic solo circumnavigation via the Southern Oceans. From day to day, with changes in the weather and the boat's responses to it, there were plenty of surprises both good and bad. I enjoyed reading this book very much.

Date read: 7/7/2009
Book #: 36
Challenges: 999 Challenge, In Their Shoes Challenge, Non-Fiction Five Challenge 2009
Rating: 4*/5
Genre: Memoir

Publisher: Coward-McCann, Inc.
Year: 1967
# of pages: 222
Binding: Hardcover
LibraryThing page

In Fond Remembrance of Me: A Memoir of Myth and Uncommon Friendship in the Arctic by Howard Norman

First sentence:

"On November 8, 1977, in the Halifax train station a few minutes before boarding a train for Montreal, Helen Tanizaki handed me a letter from the afterlife."

Description:

"In the fall of 1977, Howard Norman went to Churchill, Manitoba to translate Inuit folktales, and there he met Helen Tanizaki, an extraordinary linguist translating the same tales into Japanese. In Fond Remembrance of Me recaptures their intimacy, and the remarkable influence that she, and the tales themselves, would have on the future novelist. Through a series of overlapping panels of reality and memory, Norman evokes with vivid immediacy their brief but life-shifting encounter, and the earthy, robust Inuit folklore that occasioned it." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was an interesting look at an Inuit culture and their retelling of the Noah story set in the Arctic. I liked how Norman reflected on his conversations with Helen and her maintaining a sense of dignity in spite of adversity.

Date read: 2/14/2009
Book #: 14
Challenges: 999 Challenge, Winter Reading Challenge 2008, In Their Shoes Challenge
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Memoir

ISBN-10: 0312425228
ISBN-13: 9780312425227
Publisher: Picador
Year: 2005
# of Pages: 166
Binding: Trade Paperback
LibraryThing Page

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox

First sentence:

"I woke up to find the message in my left hand."

Description:

"In September 1998, Michael J. Fox stunned the world by announcing that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease - a degenerative neurological condition. He had been secretly fighting it for seven years.

Now, he tells the story of his life - from his childhood to his meteoric rise in film and television and, most importantly, the last ten years during which he has dealt with his illness.

He talks about what Parkinson's has given him: the chance to appreciate a wonderful life, and the opportunity to help search for a cure and spread public awareness of the disease. He feels as if he is a very lucky man indeed." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed reading this memoir. I learned a lot about Parkinson's and about Fox's struggles to cope both physically and emotionally. I admire his candor and honesty as he looks back on his life before and after the diagnosis.

Date read: 1/21/2009
Book #: 8
Challenges: Dewey Decimal Challenge, In Their Shoes Challenge
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Memoir

ISBN-10: 0091885671
ISBN-13: 9780091885670
Publisher: Ebury Press
Year: 2002
# of Pages: 306
Binding: Trade Paperback
LibraryThing Page