Memoir Monday... The Bag Lady Papers by Alexandra Penney

Having to Lose it All to Find Herself

I've had my radar on this book for a while. It's a book about survival. It's a book about finding out what you're made of when something happens. In Alexandra Penney's case what happened was financial ruin after investing all of her savings with Bernice Madoff. This is her story.

The Bag Lady Papers by Alexandra Penney was published by Voice earlier this year, this is how they describe it...

How do you pick yourself up after the one thing you most feared happens to you? Alexandra Penney’s revealing, spirited, and ultimately redemptive true story shows us how.

Throughout her life, Alexandra Penney’s worst fear was of becoming a bag lady. Even as she worked several jobs while raising a son as a single mother, wrote a bestselling advice book, and became editor in chief of Self magazine, she was haunted by the image of herself alone, bankrupt, and living on the street. She even went to therapy in an attempt to alleviate the worry that all she had worked for could crumble.

And then, one day, that’s exactly what happened.

Penney had taken a friend’s advice and invested nearly everything she had ever earned—all of her savings—with Bernie Madoff. One day she was successful and wealthy; the next she had almost nothing. Suddenly, at an age when many Americans retire, Penney saw her worst nightmares coming true. Based on her popular blog posts on The Daily Beast, this memoir chronicles Penney’s struggle to cope with the devastating financial and emotional fallout of being cheated out of her life savings and illuminates her journey back to sanity, solvency, and security.

“I will work harder than I ever have before—which was pretty hard indeed—and see what happens. I have the feeling something good will come of it: tough, challenging work and laserlike focus have always paid off for me. . . . Was it better to have it and then lose it? Yes, yes, yes! Even though I lived with horrible bag lady fears of losing it all, now that those financial fears have materialized, I’m in pretty good shape and looking to what’s next. Experiences—good and bad, exciting and boring, tragic and absurd—make up a life. Not to have lived to the fullest is the saddest, most irresponsible life I can think of.”

. . . from The Bag Lady Paper

Memoir Monday... The Girl On The Wall: One Life's Rich Tapestry by Jean Baggott

The Saying Goes, Life is a Tapestry...

For Jean Baggott, She Stitched Her Life into a Tapestry!

Back of the Book... As the clock struck midnight on 31 December 1999, Jean Baggott vowed that from that point on her life would be devoted to the happiness of ‘the girl on the wall’ – a 1948 photograph taken of Jean when she was eleven. Reflecting on her hopes and dreams 60 years on from that photo, Jean – a talented needlewoman – has stitched a remarkable tapestry looking back on her life and the changing world around her. Inspired by a ceiling in Lincolnshire’s Burghley House and by the history degree on which she embarked in her late sixties, the tapestry tells the moving story of an ordinary young girl from the Black Country, growing up in extraordinary times.

The tapestry, which took sixteen months to complete, consists of 73 interlocking circles, giving a unique portrait of everyday life for the working people of the industrialised West Midlands. Each chapter of her book relates to one circle in the tapestry as Jean explores the memories the circle evokes. Jean’s vivid recollections of growing up in a house where the bath hung on a nail in the yard, and children listened to Dick Barton on the radio while their mothers made rag rugs, conjure up a fascinating world now all but forgotten. Some circles explore world events such as the first moon landings and the Cuban missile crisis; others are filled with memories of washdays, childhood illnesses, wartime rationing and games played in the fields and streets beyond Jean’s two-up, two-down terraced home.

The Girl On The Wall: One Life's Rich Tapestry by Jean Baggott is extraordinary. In an era with loads of tell-all celebrity memoirs, this is a memoir that will truly stand out. Rich in history, and interesting as all heck, The Girl On The Wall is written as though you are having a conversation with Jean. Unique because each chapter is highlighting a different stitched "circle of her life". The reproductions of the stitched circles, the parts of her tapestry, are beautiful. Full color and detailed so that you can actually see the individual stitches precisely crafted. At the back of the book is a full color reproduction pull-out of the actual tapestry. It is amazing!

Jean's book proves that what one perceives as "an ordinary life", really isn't so ordinary after all. Written with a warmth and affection for the people and places in her life, The Girl On The Wall is such an enjoyable read. You'll enjoy it for the wonderful story rich in history, from Jean recounting the "rationing & shortages" during WWII in Great Britain to her discover of "Pink Floyd" in the 70's and the way music changed. Ordinary observations leap off the page in the deft hands of Jean. It will make you nostalgic for simpler times, but it will also captivate you. And if you are a crafter, you will enjoy it for Jean's phenomenal skill (36,992 stitches in total!) and creativity too. Jean Baggott's book The Girl On The Wall is like a perfect cup of tea - smooth & flavorful as you slowly drink it all in. Put this book on your TBR list!

The Girl On The Wall by Jean Baggott hasn't quite made it to U.S. bookstores yet (next Spring probably), but it's available from The Book Depository right now! (and it's free shipping worldwide!). I was so fortunate that Najma from Icon Books generously sent me a copy of The Girl On The Wall to read! Thank you Najma! I loved it!

Would you like to read an excerpt? You can find one at The Girl On the Wall website! While you're there you can also get a peak at the actual tapestry. And for all you crafters out there, Jean also has instructions on her website on how to make your own tapestry.

Memoir Monday... Lift by Kelly Corrigan

Lift by Kelly Corrigan... I came across this little book, 96 pages, as I was wandering the bookstore... It was such a beautiful looking little book so I picked it up. I'm not a mother, but I had a childhood and Kelly's wonderful writing and wry sense of humor grabbed me from the start. Written as a letter to her children, Kelly relays her deepest fears, frustrations and fierce love through the weaving of three relevant stories from her life. It’s the kind of book that will make you pause for a moment and take stock of the riches in your life…

Here's what the publisher says..."Kelly Corrigan’s Lift is a tender, intimate, and robust portrait of risk and love; a touchstone for anyone who wants to live more fully. In Lift, Corrigan weaves together three true and unforgettable stories of adults willing to experience emotional hazards in exchange for the gratifications of raising children.

Lift takes its name from hang gliding, a pursuit that requires flying directly into rough air, because turbulence saves a glider from “sinking out.” For Corrigan, this wisdom—that to fly requires chaotic, sometimes even violent passages—becomes a metaphor for all of life’s most meaningful endeavors, particularly the great flight that is parenting.

Corrigan serves it up straight—how mundanely and fiercely her children have been loved, how close most lives occasionally come to disaster, and how often we fall short as mothers and fathers. Lift is for everyone who has been caught off guard by the pace and vulnerability of raising children, to remind us that our work is important and our time limited."

Kelly Corrigan writes, "I heard once that the average person barely knows tens stories from childhood and those are based more on photographs and retellings than memory..." If you take one thing away from Lift, it should be that life passes by swiftly and we should take a moment to stop and breath it all in. A loving testament, Lift can be appreciated not only by parents, but anyone with parents...

You can read an excerpt of Lift at everywomansvoice.com

*P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

Memoir Mondays... The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

A Young Woman's Coming of Age Story...

During the Turbulent Political Backdrop of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran

Young Marjane Satrapi came from a well off, loving, modern family. She went to a non-religious french school. Her father drove a cadillac and her family had a maid. All that changed in 1980, when Marjane turned 10 years old... because Marjane lived in Tehran... During the cultural revolution... and 'the veil'.

The book opens with Marjane showing us how a 10 year old perceives the sudden requirement to wear the veil... The little girls didn't understand the need to wear one. One day you don't have to, and the next day you do? Her bilingual school was closed down because it was a symbol of capitalism and decadence... And soon Marjane was being indoctrinated into the political fray. First she is taught that the Shah was chosen by God, then when he is overthrown she is taught to tear his pictures out of all the school books. People were being persecuted, executed, tortured. And Marjane's parents did not protect her from the truth because it seemed the only way to save her from becoming one of the persecutors...

Her parents protested, there were raids & bombs, and patrols... Relatives are murdered, friends of the family disappear, a friend dies is a bombing. How is a 1o year old suppose to deal with all this? Honestly... Unfortunately her honesty was perceived as blasphemy... Marjane called her teacher a liar when she taught that there were no more political prisoners and recited the facts, she wore a simple bracelet under her garment and was expelled... It was then decided that a little girl with a penchant for rebellion and a sharp tongue would be safer growing up away from Iran... So, Marjane next goes to Austria to live with a friend of her mother's... and as if things couldn't get worse, they do.

What is so interesting and compelling in this story is that Marjane is the same as all young girls- she likes music, and posters, jewelry and wearing jeans. But because of where she is born she is forced to grow up faster and learn to survive. Her "slips" are mostly from her acting like a 10 year old. How she deals with all this conflict, even the conflict within herself as she grapples with what is going on around her and what is in her heart, is written and drawn wonderfully.

This coming of age story, The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, is a tender, heartfelt story of a girl growing up in a world of conflict. The relationship she has with her mother and grandmother are loving and volatile. But what she takes from each of them and tucks away into her soul shows us glimpses of a girl growing up. How she deals with the war & revolution are important, but how she deals with the injustices imposed on her just because she is a female is even more important. The wearing of the veil, the cut of her clothes, the wearing of make-up, a strand of hair out of place, moral etiquette, dating, divorce... these are all things we learn how a young Iranian girl deals with. All of this is why I thought this book would easily fit into the Women Unbound Reading Challenge... This book shows how this young woman deals with the social and political issues present as she grows up in Iran. Marjane is candid, honest, funny and angry. The book will tug at your heart at moments and infuriate you other times. The book spans 14 years, and it is well worth your time cracking the spin!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The Black & White drawings were so expressive and the story flowed easily from the page. I read it in one sitting because I became absorbed in the Marjane's story. If you're not exactly a graphic novel reader, I hope you'll open this book anyway, it is a wonderful read and would be a great start to reading graphic novels!

*I just wanted to welcome the SJVHS's World Literature class students who stopped by here and joined in on the discussion in the comments section about Persepolis! SJVHS stands for St John Vianney High School. They have a great website where they " share our writing, ideas, and multi-media projects." I think it's great that the class has a virtual place to discuss all things literary! Their site is called The Sea Inside Us, which refers to the Franz Kafka quote, “A BOOK MUST BE THE AXE FOR THE FROZEN SEA INSIDE US.” They left me the link to take a look... here it is if you'd like to see what they are discussing... http://theseainside.us/

*P.S. Philadelphia, PA. has chosen Persepolis as their One Book, One Philadelphia pick for 2010 with the distribution of 5000 copies city wide! Read more HERE.

Women Unbound Reading Challenge

The Women Unbound Reading Challenge

Celebrating Women in Literature

I've joined another Reading Challenge! This is the Women Unbound Reading Challenge and revolves around the reading of books related to "women's studies". You may ask, "What is 'women's studies'? Merriam-Webster defines it as:

the multidisciplinary study of the social status and societal contributions of women and the relationship between power and gender

In plain language this would include history books focused on women, biographies of women, memoirs by women, essays by women and cultural books focused on women (body image, motherhood, etc.), and fiction that examines the place of women in society. I read a lot of books about women, their struggles and triumphs, so this is a perfect way to share, discover and read more books... Hey, I'm a Chick... I get it!

The beginning of this reading challenge asks the participants to answer a few questions...

1. What does feminism mean to you? Does it have to do with the work sphere? The social sphere? How you dress? How you act? Feminism to me has to do with equality. Being true to yourself and having the freedom to express yourself without prejudice or fear. Feminism isn't just about work, or how you dress etc, it's about all of it collectively. Be a plumber, a stripper, dress sexy or conservatively, speak your mind, have an opinion, whatever without having a stigma attached...

2. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why or why not? I don't like labels, so I would

not call myself a feminist per say, but if being a feminist means "the belief of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes" guess I would be a feminist because I do believe we as women should enjoy the same opportunities as men without favoritism... on either side.

3. What do you consider the biggest obstacle women face in the world today? Has that obstacle changed over time, or does it basically remain the same? I would say the biggest obstacle women face today is faith in our abilities. We are tough on ourselves, and this may come across as doubting our abilities to others. We can share our emotions easily, but it doesn't mean we can't be president. We fought hard for opportunities to be well educated, to vote, to have our voices heard... we are resilient....

Now for the Challenge...

Women Unbound Reading Challenge dates are November 2009 - November 2010

There are three catagories to choose from:

*Philogynist: read at least two books, including at least one nonfiction.

*Bluestocking: read at least five books, including at least two nonfiction.

*Suffragette: read at least eight books, including at least three nonfiction.

I would love to be a Suffragette! But I'm going to start slow here and be a Philogynist! So, I'll be reading at least two books, including a least one nonfiction book.

My Challenge Books:

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi... Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagu

ed by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trails of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up. This is a 'Graphic' Memoir... a memoir in black & white line drawings. The story is amazing and so is the artwork! This is my nonfiction choice. (Probably one of a few since I have a whole year to read!) Here's My Review...

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin... Few works of literature are as universally beloved as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an unforgettable trip down the rabbit hole–and the grown woman whose story is no less enthralling.

But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful? Alice Liddell Hargreaves’s life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she’s experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her eighty-first birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only “Alice.” Her life was permanently dog-eared at one fateful moment in her tenth year–the golden summer day she urged a grown-up friend to write down one of his fanciful stories... That story, a wild tale of rabbits, queens, and a precocious young child, becomes a sensation the world over. Its author, a shy, stuttering Oxford professor, does more than immortalize Alice–he changes her life forever. But even he cannot stop time, as much as he might like to. And as Alice’s childhood slips away, a peacetime of glittering balls and royal romances gives way to the urgent tide of war. For Alice, the stakes could not be higher, for she is the mother of three grown sons, soldiers all. Yet even as she stands to lose everything she treasures, one part of her will always be the determined, undaunted Alice of the story, who discovered that life beyond the rabbit hole was an astonishing journey. The blending of fact with fiction in Alice I Have Been is wonderful and seamless. It's a love story, and a story of heartbreak. The love & hate between sisters, jealousy, and an undercurrent of something a bit improper. Melanie Benjamin does a great job of portraying the restrictions of the victorian woman in society- how every action is judged, and how rumor and speculation, however unfounded, can ruin a woman's reputation. But this isn't some dry victorian piece of fiction, Alice is a vibrant wonderful character that will entice you to turn those pages. This is my choice for fiction for "The Challenge". Here's My Review...

Would you like to participate? Having a blog isn't necessary! You can read and review your book on the Women Unbound Blog! Also at the

Women Unbound Blog you'll find lots of great book recommendations, so follow the link to check it all out! And a special thanks to the girls who are hosting this, Aarti of Booklust Blog, Care of Care's Online Book Club, and Eva of A Striped Armchair.

Find Your Strongest Life by Marcus Buckingham... a Review!

In Find Your Strongest Life, Marcus Buckingham reveals the powerful key to bring fulfillment, peace, and control into a woman's life.

In today's world, can a woman truly "have it all"? A fulfilling career full of passion and performance? A belief that she is truly becoming the best, authentic version of herself? A happy, healthy life outside of work?

Countless women would roll their eyes at the possibility. Work is overwhelming. And for many of them, add the necessities of family and home. It all feels disconnected, out of control, and relentless.

In Find Your Strongest Life, Marcus Buckingham reveals the powerful key to help women draw enough strength from life to feel fulfilled, loved, successful, and in control. Even more, he helps women reconnect with their purpose and gives a starting point for change. A research-based message that applies to work and life, Find Your Strongest Life shows women how they really can have it all . . . the right kind of all.

Find Your Strongest Life is filled with stories of women, their lives and how they changed their lives to be less stressful and more fulfilling. Each chapter has a wrap-up at the end to recap the most important points. Part One of the book looks at what gets in the way of our true calling with chapter titles such as The Female Paradox: what trap has life set and Of Choice and Men: what gets in the way of your happiness, Part Two shows us what to look for to find ourselves with chapter titles such as Signs of Life: what does a strong life actually feel like and Accept what you find: How can you honor what is true about you, and Part Three is Strong Life Tactics, with tactics for stronger relationships, kids, and career.

It's like a workshop in your hands to look at yourself in relationship to the world around you and to see if you like it, and change the negative points into positive.

Do you know your "soul's code"? Are you an Advisor or a Caretaker? A Creator or an Equalizer? What makes your heart sing? Take the Strong Life Test and see where you fit in! Would you like to read an excerpt from the book? Here's a link to the first chapter! And visit www.thestronglifetest.com to learn more about the book, WATCH the video! where women talk about finding the meaning in their lives and Marcus explaining a bit about why his book can help! and learn about author Marcus Buckingham!

I found the book inspiring and easy to read! Even if you aren't the "self-help" type reader, but just a woman feeling in a crossroads, or even curious as to what your choices tell about you, you should enjoy this book. I reviewed this book for Thomas Nelson Books, but want to sincerely thank them for the opportunity to read this!