Painted with rich, evocative details, Gallagher’s narrative swiftly transports readers into the past, in lively scenes of political intrigue and sociocultural upheaval. She probes the impacts of Senator McCarthy’s hearings on her family and the United States, her suffragette grandmother’s fight for equal voting rights, and her own introduction to God in early life Quaker meetings, using those experiences as jumping off points for the “power of cultural stories… [that sustain] the life of the emotional resonance the story elicits across generations.” But Gallagher dives beyond her own story as well, interacting with science, culture, and the environment in her examination of modernism, climate change, and more.
Readers eager to experience the fabric of American life, especially through the 1950s and ‘60s, will find plenty that resonates here, as Gallagher skillfully humanizes history by embedding well-known events—from Vietnam War protests to the chemical development of DDT to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech—into her personal story. She introduces engaging ideas from a variety of intellectuals as well, smoothly transitioning from concepts of mindfulness and healing to biological evolution and the interconnectedness of life on Earth. Ultimately, this is a compelling glimpse into what it means to be alive, a study on “the creative force igniting all living” that arises “when words in the form of thoughts have quieted enough for the silent, wise knowing beneath them to emerge.”
Takeaway: Introspective memoir reflecting on the power of stories amid sociocultural upheaval.
Comparable Titles: Carolyn Forché’s What You Have Heard Is True, Stephen E. Smith’s The Year We Danced.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
