The autobiography Spilling the Beans by Clarissa Dickson Wright is a sober account of the devastating effects of alcoholism and the violent physical abuse she endured at the hands of her father, neither of which discriminate against the class or economic status of her well connected and privileged youth. Even as she proudly achieves the hard won goal of youngest barrister and successfully practices for a time, her alcoholism takes its toll. After finally extricating herself and her mother from the abuses of her father, her mother dies and this sends her into severe depression and alcohol abuse. In a matter of fact account of her institutionalization, and ultimate salvation through AA, of which she spends much time extolling the virtues of twelve step programs, she describes her addiction and its toll. Ultimately through pluck and nerve she pulls herself up by her bootstraps and soldiers on, finding comfort and purpose in food and cookery. Avoiding self pity and the celebrity tell all, she recounts her life in carefully edited prose.
The book selected for the December 1st meeting will be The Tehran Conviction by Tom Gabbay and will be introduced by the author.
To recap the upcoming books:
October 6th: The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi to be introduced by Julie Flynn
November 3rd: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy introduced by Kerry Bell
I have added the following titles of suggested reading to the Book Club reading list:
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Other Hand by Chris Cleave
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
A sincere thank you to everyone who participated!
We look forward to seeing you in October,
Kerry and Julie