“Families don’t talk about the most important things in life!!!!!” I found this quote in bold on page 107 of Deborah Golden Alecson’s memoir, We Are So Lightly Here: A Story About Conscious Dying. In this book Alecson tells her story of her husband’s devestating illness and his conscious acceptance of death. It’s our culture’s tendency to present death as defeat: to deny it, talk around it, to avoid facing death head on. In sharing her own story, Alecson presents a message for the reader to understand that we must embrace our impermanent state; our lives are not our own. This changes the nature of hope, she says. “Hope is the acceptance of one’s fate and the courage to live each moment with the awareness that we will die. … Hope is the moment in which we find ourselves. How is this possible?”
“Once upon a time there lived a brave and curious girl named Persa. Her name meant land breeze in the language of her people.” Persa’s curiosity sends her on an adventure far from home. Her skills, bravery, and knowledge of the wind help her to find her way home. Written by Louis Schick, this children’s book includes beautiful illustrations by upper New York state resident Lara B. Sorensen.
Telling stories isn’t only a form of entertainment; often hearing others’ anecdotes can bring us closer together and remind us that we aren’t alone in this world. Storytelling makes the individual experience universal. The beauty of The Funny Side of Autism is that it doesn’t analyze Autism or try to explain it in any way–it leaves the scientific explanations for the doctors. Here you will find anecdotes with a refreshing stance: humor. From parents, aides, and nurses of children with Autism across the country, these little stories average less than one page in length.
One of my favorites:
Re-gifting
My five-year-old son Logan was diagnosed with high functioning autism at age three. Out shopping one day at age five, he was doing what every kid does–picking his nose. I politely said, “Logan, that’s not nice to do. Please stop.”
He said, “But, Mom, it’s a present for you!”
I tried so hard not to laugh. Then I asked where he’d gotten that from and he said, “Me, right now.”
Logan’s mom, Nevada
Green Mittens Covered Her Ears shares the true story of Jessica, a woman with Autism. Author Anna Saldo-Burke and her twin sister, Diana Saldo, who produced the digital illustrations for the book, worked with Jessica on controlling her behaviors and gaining skills so wshe was more socially acceptable and independent. The story briefly tells the details of Jessica’s behavior and how Anna and Diana made plans to help her improve her speech and conduct. We learn how Jessica has good days and bad days, how she likes to play with small pieces of wire, how she enjoyed chirping crickets and people imitating birdcalls, her success as an artist, and many other details that give us insight into the world of Autism.
This book was published in 2007, but it has returned to The Bookloft as a consignment book, so it’s new in it’s reappearance on our shelves. Written by physician Abigail Brenner, M.D., this book explores how rite and ritual and bringing the unconscious to consciousness help us to make sense of life. “Women’s Rites of Passage grew out of my desire to answer some fundamental questions about the role of rites of passage in contemporary women’s lives,” writes Brenner in her introduction. ”What kinds of passages are most significant to women today? Do we consciously recognize and mark these passages? If so, how? And how does this affect our lives? Drawing upon my extensive research in the fields of anthropology, sociology, psychology, mythology, archeology, history, philosophy, and religion, my aim was to distill the best of the scholarly material that would interest a mainstream audience, combine this with personal stories from a wide range of women, and complete the perspective with my own observations, analysis, anecdotes, and guidance as a practicing psychiatrist and healer of many years. I wanted to create a book that would reconnect women to their important life transitions while giving them the tools to honor those transitions and understand their significance in the broader scheme of their lives.”
All of these are available at The Bookloft in Great Barrington. Unfortunately, because these books are sold on consignment and not from our typical distributors, they cannot be bought online. But they’re here in the store!
Tags: The Berkshires, Women Authors
