genre: memoir, essays
Sarah Polley was such a familiar figure in my childhood. I didn't watch Road to Avonlea until I was older, I adored her performance in the Canadian TV series Ramona. My grandpa had recorded the episodes onto a VHS tape in Chicago and then mailed them to me in Utah to watch when I was the perfect age to appreciate Romona's antics. When I heard she'd written a memoir, I was interested enough to look it up and when I read the blurb, I knew I wanted to read it. She did not let me down. The six essays in this book are a raw look at a life of performing and the way it impacted Sarah both physically and mentally. It is about the challenges she was born with and, heartbreakingly, the ones that happened to her. It is about sexual assault and the way our society treats those who have been assaulted. It is about being a mother and being a daughter and the sinewy bits of life that make us human. I truly wept during one particular essay, she so perfectly articulates the emotions of early motherhood. I don't usually read books in essay format (is this maybe my first? ) but I was so impressed by how Sarah put her words together, how the ideas flowed and make me think. If you are interested in the impact of the entertainment industry on child performers, if you are a mom or have a mom, if you feel betrayed by your human body sometimes, if you appreciate vulnerable stories of grit and perseverance, I think you'd appreciate this collection.
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