Fall is almost over. The days are now suddenly freezing, and the skies stay cloudy. Worst of all, the sun sets earlier, bathing us in darkness. November can be such a bleak month; we wait for the holidays and breaks while loaded with prelims and projects. The month is a familiar long stretch, with the best far on the horizon.
Within the darkness, there is hope to have a productive month. Whenever I feel lost, I read a memoir, creating a type of parasocial achievement like no other. November, with its gloom and doom, is the best time to pick up a memoir and immerse yourself in a different life than your own.
Can’t handle the cold? Read Where I Was From by Joan Didion. The Sacramento-born and raised author turns her literary voice back to her hometown, peppering the book with anecdotes of school projects mixed with California history. Didion’s ancestors were pioneers, creating a sense of honor and mourning when discussing her home state within the text. She clearly yearns for the version of California she grew up with, one of droughts, levees and innocence. Having left California for New York in 1988, she reminisces on her West Coast heritage and inclination. There's a poignancy in the text that only Didion could conjure, with her direct style and articulation of mourning a place that was always going to fluctuate. She makes it clear that the California she knows is lost despite its persistence and beauty, but there is a magic in what remains.
Warm California is also the setting of Stay True by Hua Hsu, a memoir focusing on the joy and grief of a deep, unlikely college friendship. Hsu takes the reader to ‘90s UC Berkeley, where he meets Ken. Despite their mutual Asian American heritage, the duo contrasts in almost every way. Hsu shuns mainstream culture, content with zines (mini short-print magazines ) and underground music stores. Ken, a sociable frat boy, wears Abercrombie and Fitch and listens to The Dave Matthews Band. Hsu explores their friendship from late-night music discussions to the lack of representation of Asians within the American mainstream. After Ken’s tragic death before graduation, Hsu uses his prose to honor Ken’s memory and commitment to betterment. College friendships are so incredibly unique, and Hsu shines an underrepresented light on their importance.
In the vein of complex relationships, The Glass Castle by Jennette Walls is a masterful recounting of an unconventional childhood. With an alcoholic but brilliant father and a free spirited mother, the dysfunctional family moves their three children around the country, following jobs and get-rich-quick schemes. When children, the siblings enjoy their family’s nomadic adventures, believing they own their own stars and finding treasure. However, after their father relapses, the family moves to West Virginia, where they face hunger, poverty and abuse. Walls tactfully articulates the siblings’ escapes to New York City, where they find education and success. While the kids are doing well, the parents follow and decide to live on the streets instead of asking for help. Despite the parents’ complicated characters, Walls handles them with empathy and love, showing they loved their kids, even if they were not the right ones to raise them.
Another memoir that deals with a complicated parental relationship is the recently released book Lion by actress Sonya Walger. Despite not receiving a ton of press, this book is one of the best things I have ever randomly picked up in a bookstore. Narrated by the daughter, Lion recounts the story of her father, a charismatic Argentine adrenaline junkie. After divorcing her mother when his daughter was young, Lion (the father’s nickname) switches life paths while intermittently keeping a paternal relationship with Walger. An active cocaine addict, Walger recounts times he was clearly under the influence while visiting her at boarding school in the UK. She perfectly writes her feelings of yearning for a more stable father, one like her English classmates with businessman dads. Throughout the book, Lion moves from career to career, finding jobs as a race car driver, a polo player, an ex-convict and a sky diver. Also included is Walger’s view of the present, watching her career grow while becoming a parent. Lion explores the contrasts of raising a child while unpacking your own childhood in the hopes of creating a better one for your daughter.
Clearly, I love a story exploring the intricacies of human relationships, whether that be with parents, friends or even hometowns. These memoirs give a great escape from gloomy November circumstances while peering into another's life. Each of these authors’ prose is a comfort in the dark evenings of the approaching winter, and I highly recommend picking one for your November memoir.
Kate LaGatta is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at kal273@cornell.edu.
