Jo Ann Beard

In five or six writing courses I've taken, the instructors assigned “The Fourth State of Matter,” an essay from JoAnn Beard’s memoir The Boys of My Youth. I had to read it over and over. But there’s a reason why so many instructors assign it. Wow, what a piece of creative nonfiction! What occurs in the story is what happens when Beard was in the right place at the wrong time.

I’m not trying to be cryptic or coy. It’s best to let the stunning essay at the heart of the book speak for itself and take you by surprise.

This book is actually a collection of essays, but I call it a memoir because the essays are memoir pieces loosely placed together. Oddly, the effect is that of a more traditional memoir, although the book does not give the impression of one complete story.

I have to admit that the other essays don't move me the same way that "The Fourth State of Matter" does, but the book is so exquisitely written it's an experience readers shouldn't miss.
… (más)

Many years ago I read Jo Ann Beard's collection of essays, The Boys of My Youth (I still remember, because I related to these life experiences, her descriptions of Sunday evenings watching Bonanza with Lorne Greene, and also her description of her doll named Hal). So when I saw this new collection, I checked it out of the library. The first two essays in the collection are excellent, but make devastating reading. The first relates to the decision she had to make to put down her beloved dog. The second essay also related to the death of a dear pet, in this case a cat, and it involved a dire situation relating to having to jump from a burning building with your cat in your arms. After reading these two essays, I was almost afraid to go on. But I did.
There were some other good essays in the collection (and apparently at least one fictional piece), but there were also several duds that I really didn't connect with. The other essay that really stuck with me was a long piece about a woman named Cheri as she contemplates and seeks out Dr. Kevorkian's assistance when she decides to stop fighting a terminal disease.

This was a spotty, but decent read. I probably wouldn't have remembered the author's name for 15 or 20 years if this had been the first book of hers I read, rather than The Boys of My Youth.

3 stars… (más)