T. Marie Bertineau

Oh, my goodness! This is the story of the unstable youth that the author and her siblings survived; shiftless, heavy drinking parents who couldn't keep a job, and moved from one place to another frequently, sometimes nearly across the country. Early in life her mainstay was her grandmother, but after her grandmother's death, the siblings supported each other as much as possible, and an aunt also helped to oversee some sense of stability.

Especially admirable is Ms. Bertineau's courage and ability to write and share her story!… (altro)

THE MASON HOUSE is T. Marie Bertineau's memoir, a compilation of memories. She grew up with her three sisters, a brother, and alcoholic parents in many different homes in many different school districts in a few different states. Their upbringing was unstable and obviously difficult.

I was under the misconception that Bertineau grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (UP) because that's where the Mason house was. It was her grandmother’s home, where she spent part of her childhood, in Mason, Michigan. But no, only the first third of THE MASON HOUSE takes place in the UP, although Bertineau does continue to have ties to this area.

Maybe, then, THE MASON HOUSE really isn't the right title for this book. After all, 2/3 of it barely mentions the Mason house. My impression is that this book is about the instability of growing up with alcoholics.… (altro)

Despite the author's upbringing filled with chaos and turmoil, The Mason House is not a tale of trauma. Theresa is the daughter of Chippewa (now Ojibwe) and French Canadian/Cornish parents, raised in Michigan’s impoverished Upper Peninsula. At least until her parents begin moving every few months or years, dragging the family to West Virginia and Oklahoma, criss-crossing the Midwest as they leave a trail of beer cans behind them. The Mason house is where Theresa’s beloved grandmother lives, creating a haven of safety and comfort to the young girl. There, she and her sisters can nestle together and listen to stories or the peaceful sounds of the night. Bertineau is an astute observer of detail and renders what a child sees and hears in vivid, original prose: “the smack of an album on the turntable,” a deck of cards being shuffled in “a sudden flutter, like harried wrens.” As Theresa grows, she doesn’t know whether she is “Indian enough.” But after her grandmother’s death, when she is visited by Gram’s image, she starts to think otherwise. This memoir emphasizes the strengths that help her: certain teachers, generous relatives in her extensive family tree, a close friend; and these are as important as any of the painful episodes that she experiences. Happily, her family—despite divorces and estrangements—eventually reunites, all of them healing together through sobriety and through embracing their Ojibwe culture.
[this review originally posted on San Francisco Book Review]… (altro)