If you asked me which book has most influenced my life, it would probably be this one. I first read Little Women when I was six or seven years old, and it's stayed with me to this day. The truth is, I had very few books and I read it so many times I almost had it memorized.
But the reason I read it over and over is because it made me feel so good. I completely identified with Jo March. Still do. And although I cried for Beth every single time, I loved the fact that Jo had a happy ending.
If I had to pick another book, I'd choose the sequels, Little Men and Jo's Boys.
I've always said I actually did become Jo because I'm a writer; I married a man who has been a genuine partner, both challenging and supporting me; and we have four sons and nine grandkids, so our lives are full.
Over my life I've read thousands of books. I read fairly quickly, although I know others who read much faster, including my second son. I write very few book reviews, so when I do write one, it means the book has really meant something to me.
A Few Books That Have Impacted Me
Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball, by R. A. Dickey, with Wayne Coffey. We’ve all had painful experiences in our past. Some more painful than others. Many of us are able to deal with those experiences and keep going. But some of us either try to pretend the
While researching the effects of adoption during the late 1940s, 50s, and 60, I kept reading that many of the young women who had given up their babies were never able to fully grieve their losses. Some, in fact, had managed to keep their pregnancy a secret from everyone in their lives, including their spouse and
If you haven’t read Part 1, please click here. Thirty years after she was a resident at a home for unwed mothers, Anne Petrie interviewed a number of other women from across Canada. In addition to telling her own story, Anne profiles six other birth mothers in detail and also mentions comments from other interviews
What to do when you’re feeling depressed? Read a hope-filled book. For the last four years or so, I’ve felt kind of overwhelmed. People being killed. So much lying and misinformation happening. Terrorist reports. Fears of white supremacy. Rogue police. Disagreements about water rights and climate control. Oil spills. Children without anyone to care for