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Books... |
Missing—a memoir
( Northwestern University Press)
"Cornelia Spelman's gentle, lyrical prose belies the haunting nature of her story, a searing, honest search for the lost pieces of her family's story. Missing is a book that both comforts and astounds. It's memoir writing at its absolute finest." Alex Kotlowitz, author There Are No Children Here
"It's a wonderful book...beautifully modest, humble before the immensity of private lives--mature, alive, and deeply felt. I read it almost in one sitting--it was a lovely, haunting way to enter a day, a book that makes one aware of how precious a day's time is." Stuart Dybek, author of The Coast of Chicago
"One reason that one wants to read a memoir is to be in the company of the narrator and I think Cornelia Maude Spelman does a wonderful job of guiding us through the story, of making us, too, want to board the night train and go on that journey. I admire the honesty with which she allows herself to be a character in the story and the delicacy with which she treats the other members of her family. A beautiful and enlightening book." Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street and Eva Moves the Furniture.
Cornelia Maude Spelman's memoir of her family springs from a meeting and subsequent friendship with the late, legendary New Yorker editor William Maxwell. In the late 1920's , he and her parents had been friends as undergraduates at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. When Spelman hints at what she thinks of as the failure of her parents' lives, he counters that "in a good novel one doesn't look for a success story, but for a story that moves one with its human drama and richness of experience." At their final meeting, Maxwell encourages her to tell her mother's story. Missing is Spelman's response to Maxwell's wisdom. With the pacing of the mystery novels her mother loved, and using everything from letters and interviews to the family's quotidian paper trail--medical records, telegrams, and other oft-overlooked clues to a family's history--Spelman reconstructs her mother's life and untimely death. Along the way, she unravels mysteries of her family, including the fate of her long lost older brother. Spelman skillfully draws the reader into the elation and sorrow that accompany the discovery of a family's past. A profoundly loving yet honest elegy, Missing is, like the woman it memorializes, complex and beautiful.
Chicago Tribune review: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/chi-books-missing-spelman,0,1291710.story
ForeWord review: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7028/is_2010_Dec_19/ai_n56526055/
BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS;
- What do you think was the author's purpose in writing the book?
- Do you think that finding out about your parents as people would help you reach forgiveness for their failings? Do you think forgiveness is the goal, or understanding?
- What role does William Maxwell occupy in the book? Have you had someone in your life who occupied a similar role?
- Do you think that Frank tried to kill his mother? Why or why not?
- How do you understand Pop's behavior? Do you think that he loved his wife?
- How do you think a death in the family affects subsequent generations?
- What role does gender play in the story?
- Do you agree or disagree with the author's conclusion that her grandfather's death was a major factor in her mother's later troubles?
- How important do you think it is to express and share emotions with another person?
- Why do you think the social security clerk divulged information to the author?
- What would you like to find out about your own mother' s life, and what steps can you take to do so?
Watch a two-minute book trailer for MISSING:
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