As in “Easy Reader, that’s my name–uh-uh-uh” from The (original) Electric Company.  Morgan Freeman was supercool!

I picked up The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan on a whim while in Barnes & Noble one day.  Spending so much time on the computer lately, I felt the urge to hold paper in my hands.   I knew that I picked a good book when I read this paragraph on page 10:

I hit send and start my routine: pull on yesterday’s yoga pants (I don’t actually do yoga), pair them with a new green T-shirt from Costco, toast frozen waffle for Claire, smear bagel with cream cheese for Georgia, water down juices for both, strap girls into car seats, drop girls off at preschool, come home to move things (dishes to shelves, cans to recycling, socks to laundry basket, bills to pile, shoes to closet).  By 11:30 A.M., after I’ve lost he whole morning to a couple dozen five-minute tasks, it’s time to head out for pickup and begin the afternoon routine, which is as dull and typical as the morning routine, so I’ll spare you.

I could so relate to this when my kids were young!   I thought this passage was both funny and honest.  But despite the monotony of her days, Kelly loves being a mother.  And she equally loves being a daughter–especially the daughter of her charismatic Irish-Catholic father, Greenie,   This is what she calls the Middle Place–”that sliver of time when parenthood and childhood overlap”.   

 Kelly’s world is perfect until she learns that she has breast cancer.   The journey of her treatment and recovery is told from the the vantage point of her current life and flashbacks into her childhood; the reader is able to see how her family and upbringing shapes both her worldview and self-image during the most trying time in her life.  But just when she thinks she has a handle on things, she learns that her beloved father has cancer also; Kelly must now learn how to support her father in a way that she has never done before–as an adult.   It’s truly touching to see the love that Kelly has for her family and the way that this love evolves and grows when she least expects it.

Funny, refreshing and honest, I really enjoyed reading about Kelly’s journey as a mother, daughter and cancer survivor.

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Related posts:

1. Easy Reader-That’s My Name