An Education by Lynn Barber

I recently finished An Education, a memoir by the British journalist Lynn Barber. A chapter from the book inspired the film of the same name, which was released last year and nominated for an Oscar for "Best Picture." Lynn recounts her childhood growing up in the suburbs of London, bored by her conventional surroundings and itching for a bigger, brighter life. She has her eyes set on Oxford University until, when she turns sixteen, she meets a mysterious, worldly older man, Simon, who introduces her to a life-style that seems far more interesting than college. Simon takes her to expensive restaurants, gallery auctions, weekend trips to Europe - he even charms her parents and gets their seal of their approval to date their young daughter.

Lynn and Simon soon get engaged and Lynn ditches her plans to attend Oxford. But it turns out that Simon isn't who he says he is (he's something of a conman, which the movie does a great job of depicting), and they break their engagement. Luckily, Lynn is able to take the necessary exams for Oxford and is accepted to the college. The remainder of her memoir recounts her experiences at Oxford where she spends most of her time "studying men" (she claims to have slept with fifty of them during her second year), working as an editor at Penthouse, becoming a "sex expert" (writing a book called How to Improve your Man in Bed), and becoming an esteemed newspaper journalist. Best of all, and most moving, is the section where Lynn details her husband's battle with myelofibrosis and cancer and its effect on their thirty year marriage.

Lynn was a headstrong, sexually liberated woman at a time when this was frowned upon. Her memoir offers an insightful and often humorous view on how she broke free of conventional views and became an interesting, dynamic woman in her own right.

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

I really enjoyed this novel. It’s been on my reading list ever since I read glowing reviews of it from the New York Times and various blogs last year. It’s set in New York City in 1974 and centers around the day Philip Petite walked across a wire set between the World Trade Center towers (Man on Wire, a great documentary that came out a couple years ago details how Petite planned and executed his extraordinary walk).

The novel follows a set of characters whose lives intersect on that day and in the months and years that follow. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character – a young Irish monk, a prostitute, a wealthy Upper East Side housewife, a judge, a hippie painter, etc. They all come from very different walks of life, and it’s interesting to watch their lives intertwine with one another. I loved the descriptions of New York City, how different and kind of dangerous it was back then. The novel also touches upon 9/11 in a subtle way, I think. It shows a day that could have turned out tragic (i.e. what if Philip Petite had fallen or been knocked down) but turned out to be uplifting (his walk brought thousands of people on the streets of the city, cheering) unlike what happened decades later. I highly recommend this book; it's a really great read.

A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present

I'd like to recommend Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. The book covers major moments in American history starting from 1492 (Christopher Columbus's discovery of America, The First and Second World Wars, Vietnam, etc). The version I read ends in the 1970s, but there's an updated version that goes through the 1990s. Zinn writes about hisorical events from the perspective of how they affected everyday people. For example, when he writes about Columbus, he focuses more on the Native Americans, showing how they struggled and failed to hold to their land. He also argues that it's the American people who've shaped the laws of the country rather than political leaders. He shows how working-class people played a pivitol role in ensuring that the government passed Civil Rights, Women's Rights and Worker's laws amongst a host of other important legislation. I like Zinn's writing style a lot; it's clear and simple, not stuffy at all. Really enjoyed the book and discovering new things I was unaware of in our history.

Just Kids

I recently finished Just Kids, a memoir by the rock singer and poet Patti Smith and really enjoyed it. In her memoir, Smith recounts moving from New Jersey to New York City when she was 19 in the late 60s with a dream of becoming an artist. She is unsure of what type of artist she wants to be, but desires to make a name for herself in art. She ends up meeting a cute boy named Robert Mapplethorpe, who also wants to be an artist, and the book charts their rise into the art and music world. Smith struggled quite a bit during her first few yeas in the city; she had little money and found herself sleeping in Central Park for a few nights. Somehow, she held on to her dream and, since then, she has developed a successful career. I think her music's pretty great.

I loved how Smith describes New York City in the 60s - chockfull of so much creative energy. People seemed really energized to create art, music and be involved in politics. Smith also describes other artists she encounters during that time: she meets Jimi Hendrix in front of his recording studio in the East Village, parties with Janis Joplin in a hotel room, hooks up with the playwright Sam Shepard at a concert. Smith wasn't famous at the time, but she was still able to talk to and hang out with pretty famous people. I don't imagine she'd have the same access to such people today. There seemed to be less of a divide between famous and non-famous people in those days.

I don't read memoirs often, but I liked this one so much I'd like to read more. Are there any memoirs you'd recommend reading?