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BEST OF 2010: NON-FICTION

Posted by Amy Steele in Books on December 9, 2010

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman [Spiegel & Grau]
–at turns daunting, authentic, provocative and spellbinding. The best part is that it’s about women from all different backgrounds bonding to endure a miserable situation.

WAR by Sebastian Junger [Twelve]
–Junger brings much needed attention to this ongoing war on terrorism. So little is written about Afghanistan in the press yet it’s a fierce, exhaustive war. Junger also includes and honest assessment about the war in Afghanistan and the attitudes of the troops.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot [Crown]

It Could Be Worse, You Could Be Me by Ariel Leve [Harper Perennial]
–Leve is a major pessimist, sets low standards to avoid disappointment, would rather stay in bed than get dressed and made up to go to a party that *might* not be worth her time. She expresses in print what most of us think. She’s observant, sharply critical and savvy. Leve’s irreverent voice and bittersweet outlook mingle in an erudite, esoteric manner.

Half A Life by Darin Strauss [McSweeney’s]
–At 18, Strauss hit a girl while driving and she died. He examines his feelings related to the girl who died as well as the accident and its aftermath. Strauss writes honestly, exquisitely and provides a thorough examination of this profoundly personal experience. Half A Life is a provocative, intense read.

Bitch is the New Black by Helena Andrews [Harper]
–another stand-out memoir by a strong, opinionated, independent woman who has achieved monumental professional success but by society’s standards hasn’t yet hit her stride on the personal front.

FURY by Karen Zailckas [Viking Adult]
–After spending many years binge drinking and writing about it in the best-seller Smashed, Zailckas wanted to examine women’s relationship to anger. In doing so, she realized she had a lot of her own.

A Ticket to the Circusby Norris Church Mailer [Random House]

The Match by Susan Whitman Helfgot [Simon & Schuster]
–Reinforcing the importance of organ donation through the story of two men who never meet but whose lives intersect in a remarkable manner, The Match is a vastly informative and engulfing read.

CLEOPATRA by Stacy Schiff [Little, Brown]

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Afghanistan, Ariel Leve, Darin Strauss, Helena Andrews, Henrietta Lacks, Norris Church Mailer, Nujood Ali, Piper Kerman, Rebecca Skloot, Sebastian Junger, Susan Whitman Helfgot, war

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book review: A Ticket to the Circus: A Memoir

Posted by Amy Steele in Books on April 25, 2010

Title: A Ticket to the Circus: a memoir
Author: Norris Church Mailer
ISBN: 978-1400067947
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Random House (April 6, 2010)
Category: memoir
Review source: publisher
Rating: B

Norris Church Mailer is a lot of things: a daughter, a mother, a wife, a student, a teacher, an artist, a model, a writer, a scenester, a cancer survivor. In her candid, revealing memoir A Ticket to the Circus, Norris reflects on her youth in Arkansas, her marriage at age 20 and then meeting and marrying writer Norman Mailer at age 26. Young Norris [then Barbara] dreamed a lot and knew that she wouldn’t stay in Arkansas forever although she enjoyed being close to her family and loved the state. Norris ached to get out and travel and see the world. Norris also knew that there were challenges beyond any she could find in Arkansas that she needed to discover on her own.

She attended college and took to art classes and ended up teaching art at a high school for several years. Norris invited herself to a party after Norman’s book reading and he immediately became smitten with the red-haired enigmatic and confident young woman. Not long after, Norris moved to New York to be close to Norman and she immediately fell in love with the city.

Clod or angel, there are many reasons we lasted for thirty-three years, aside from the physical passion, which was as intense decades into the marriage as it was at the beginning, if not as frequent. As trite as it sounds, I think we stayed together because we really loved each other, we loved our kids, we loved our life, and we were comfortable together. We had each found someone whose quirks and habits we could live with, like a key in a lock. Besides, if I had left him, as I seriously considered only once, I would have always wondered what he was up to, and would have been miserable in my curiosity.

Nearly twice her age, Mailer complemented Norris and the two remained married for thirty years. Norris became Mailer’s sixth and final wife. The most appealing aspect of Mailer’s memoir is its friendly, conversational tone and her ability to weave a wonderful story. She recalls mostly good times with Norman but there were struggles that many couples go through as well. Norris came into Norman’s life as his mistress but it still shocked her to find out that he’d been having affairs about 15 years into their marriage. Norris provides insight into living with a famous and talented man as well as making the social scene around New York. There are glamorous parties, celebrity friendships and also the real day-to-day ins and out of a marriage. There’s that certain ennui which couples often face. There’s the inherent conflict between two creative, career-driven types and also for two people with close family ties. Fortunately for Norris and Norman, this worked to their advantage.

A Ticket to the Circus is an autobiography about a strong, determined woman with an immense capacity to love, to care for others and to create beautiful things. It’s also an intense love story about a seemingly mismatched but ultimately perfectly paired couple. This is one memoir not to be missed.