The Middle Place: Kelly Corrigan

This book was odd to me, I missed the relationship between her childhood stories to her battle with cancer. I get that "The Middle Place" is the time when you are both a mother and someones child, but the connections back and forth didn't seem smooth to me. The story of when as a child she didn't get Guess jeans, but then did, is sandwiched between the "adult" chapter of a little kid telling her she looked like a monster and how much worse her friends and family's lives have been with them losing children.? The stories of her childhood really exposed how much she has grown as an individual. She led a life she makes out to be perfect, but was never happy with what she had, she compared that with how much she doesn't take for granted currently. Throughout the story I found myself thinking "geez, she's high maintenance and so mean to her mother" but yet she is exposing herself like that. She is picking out what she wants to share and how to portray herself. The book was great once you got into the rhythm and I loved her voice and humor, especially the rawness of the book. I also appreciated how the story was structured around her battle with cancer, yet was more about her family. The story was delivered as though she sat down and talked to you. It was original.