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My Long Trip Home: A Family Memoir (2011)

by Mark Whitaker(Favorite Author)

3.58 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1451627548 (ISBN13: 9781451627541)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Simon & Schuster

review 1: Mark Whitaker has a colorful family background and that is not just a pun. His mother is one of eight French sisters, daughter of a French pastor who protected Jewish citizens during the Holocaust. Six of the young sisters were sent to New York to escape World War II, raging in Europe. Mark's father was an African American academic with a promising career which he sabatoged with alcohol and hubris. Mark expresses a lot of bitterness toward his father which he never completely resolves. The story of his father's failed marriages, multiple career moves is quite exhausting. But Mark eventually finds his path as a journalist with a loving, intact family.
review 2: Knowing absolutely nothing about the author, when I started the book I found myself continuously... more asking, "Why do I care or need to know about this person?" But because it was the selected read for my bookclub I arduously kept plugging away. I'm so happy that I did! Not only did I end up feeling pretty embarassed that I didn't know about the author prior to reading but I also gained a great respect for how he was able to tell his story, explain his struggles and triumphs and do it very skillfully. I was compelled by how he balanced his views of his parents. Especially when most other children wouldn't or couldn't be so subjective. I was awestruck at the magnificence of his father's work life while completely devestated about his personal one. I was humbled by the faith of his mother while saddened by her never finding love again. So my advice would be to not put it down after the first couple of chapters! You won't regret that you made it to the end =) less

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