Essence Reviews: The Seasons of My Mother by Marcia Gay Harden

No one wants to lose the person they love and admire, no matter the circumstance. Marcia Gay Harden’s memoir, The Seasons of My Mother, moves readers through Ms. Harden’s journey as a daughter, actress, and mother through the lens of her own mother, Beverly’s, diagnosis and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

The memoir’s anchor is the philosophy of ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement as an expression but interspersed throughout are stories of family, grandparents and great-grandparents. I was intrigued by the life and relationship that Ms. Harden has first with her mother, and then the relationship she has with her own children. Ultimately, the story is about holding onto one’s dignity and pride in the midst of declining health and disease. Alzheimer’s disease affects 47 million people worldwide. At the time of the memoir’s publication. Ms. Harden goes through her own struggles and rewards, as her mother Beverly is consistently by her side, celebrating or commiserating every one.

As I read, this memoir felt less about declining health and Alzheimer’s disease--readers see more mention of this towards the end of the book--but more of a tribute to a life and legacy of a powerful, devoted woman who decided to use ikebana to create an identity beyond a Navy officer’s wife. I believe that that is what the deceased, no matter what they die from, want: a celebration of their lives, not one of mourning. To that end, Marcia Gay Harden’s memoir has accomplished its mission.

Essence Reviews: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

A popular social media quote goes, “Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” In Ruta Sepetys’ young adult historical fiction novel Between Shades of Gray, Lithuanian deportees labeled “thieves and prostitutes” during World War II must decide if the anger and fear they have towards the NKVD--the Soviet secret police--will kill them or strengthen their resolve to fight another minute.

Fifteen year old Lina Vilkas is a superb artist; her drawings were supposed to take her to study with famous artists in Europe. But in June of 1941, her family and others were deported from their Kaunas, Lithuania homes and taken by cattle car through Belarus, Russia, Siberia, stopping at labor camps in Altai before crossing the Arctic Circle to Trofimovsk, the North Pole.

During this harrowing journey, the deportees are subjected to cruelty that Sepetys describes without adornment. They also experience kindnesses from one another, usually at the risk of their own lives: giving each other their own rations, stealing from the NKVD. They even celebrate Christmas together. All have a common goal: to go home and be reunited with loved ones.

Between Shades of Gray explores empathy toward our fellow man and the risk to our own lives if we choose love. Ruta Sepetys’ novel is well-written and it made me think about how our society still utilizes fear, anger, and silence. 

Essence Reviews: Back On Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

The best communities can be expansive or they can be small. What is most important is that they are cohesive. Debbie Macomber’s novel Back on Blossom Street is a women’s fiction novel that takes an entire street--the titular Blossom Street--and peoples it with complex characters that kept me curious about their lives beyond the last page. Ms. Macomber’s characters immediately pull the reader into the world of Blossom Street. Even if a reader, such as myself, has never encountered Blossom Street before the reader is not left wondering about characters’ previous stories.

On Blossom Street, there is A Good Yarn; a knitting shop run by Lydia Goetz. This is the anchor of the community and where the majority of the story takes place. A Good Yarn hosts knitting classes, and this is where an unlikely cast of characters meet: Colette Blake, a widow who is running from her past; Alix Townsend, who has severe pre-wedding jitters that are not just related to marrying the love of her life; and Susannah Nelson, owner of Susannah’s Garden (next door to A Good Yarn). All characters have to come to realize that they must forgive the people that hurt them--and, in turn, forgive themselves for what they did in the past.

Debbie Macomber’s Back on Blossom Street is a novel that is outside of my typical things to read. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel and the journeys that all characters undergo to heal, forgive, and honor one another.

The Unstoppable Essence

 

I spent the better part of this spring and summer trying to find work and was getting a lot of calls for interviews, but no call that said that I was hired. I did not know anyone in Goldsboro or Wayne County I could network with, but I did have a connection to Vocational Rehabilitation and job coaching because of disabilities I have.

I paid a visit to Literacy Connections even before Vocational Rehabilitation became involved with getting me an internship at this literacy center because I was interested in being a volunteer. I have always had an interest in books, literature, and literacy, especially having worked at a literature and literacy agency in New Jersey, where I am originally from. 

At Literacy Connections, I learned about the Separation of Duties, where duties involving money are separated to ensure that no theft occurs. I also learned how to use the Goodwill system to price donations. I wrote book reviews for the Missy Reads blog to promote the Little Free Library at the Literacy Connections office on Ash Street and helped organize the Little Free Library at the GWTA Transfer Station on N. Carolina Street here in Goldsboro.

The most important thing I have learned as a potential employee with disabilities is how to communicate. Ms. Suzie Acree, and her staff have been nothing but generous to my needs and accommodations. What really helped me open up about my dreams, goals, and needs were the Reflective Journalings that I did at the end of every workday. As I continue my professional life, this is something that I will take with me because it is a good way to unwind from the workday. It is because of these Reflective Journalings, in conjunction with working with my Employment Specialist, that I realized that I want to pursue a career in social work and advocacy for people like myself.

Being able to make a difference, no matter how small, is always something that has been important to me, and I feel that I have done that at Literacy Connections. I have found my purpose in life, and I am certain that it is because of their help. 

I once again thank Literacy Connections of Wayne County for giving me the opportunity to intern with them this fall. I am very appreciative to have had this opportunity.