Marion, Marion, wonderful wonderful Marion! For those of us who were introduced to Marion via her NPR commentaries, the miracle of this book (indeed, all her books) is that she really does sound like that - on the page, in your head, without any technological intervention at all. I was so introduced, which was followed quickly by an intro from my sister, who was reading Marion in the Austin Chronicle. Now, we are both rabid Marion fans. I drove from Bryan to Austin to hear her read at one of the early Texas Book Festival's - and she read an essay presented in this volume. "Waiting for Daddy" made me cry then, and makes me cry every time I read it. Not just because Marion lost her father, and so have I. Not just because it captures a certain type of nuclear family in the sixties - an experience that we share. Mainly, I cry for the same reason I believe she wrote this piece - because memory is a blessing, a curse, and all we really have at the end of the day.
If you haven't encountered Marion before, this is a perfect introduction - a breezy yet intimate collection you can browse at your leisure. But, fair warning: keep the tissues handy - you'll need 'em. ( )