Tag: autobiography

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

by Josh Hedgepeth, posted in Books, Reading, Uncategorized
Filmed review.

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life was written by Ruth Franklin. Franklin is an American literary critic who spent six years researching Shirley Jackson’s work and life to write this book. Once published, she was awarded several accolades for her efforts. Among those, the Bram Stoker Award for Best Nonfiction, the Edgar Award for Best Critical/Biographical, and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography. And after reading this myself, I can unequivocally say that she absolutely deserves the praise.

I am by no means a Shirley Jackson super-fan. Rather, I wasn’t, but that may have changed after reading this fantastic biography. I’ve read some of Jackson’s biggest works, the Haunting of Hill House, the Lottery short story collection, as well as both of her personal memoirs, Life Among Savages and Raising Demons. Of course, there are many other works I haven’t read, perhaps the biggest being We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Any hesitation I had about reading her other works has vanished. Franklin has inspired me to read Jackson’s entire list of work, and reread this biography when I’m done to fully appreciate the depth and significance of Jackson’s work.

I originally sought out this biography after reading Life Among Savages, Jackson’s first memoir, in October of 2019. I had hoped to get a look into Jackson’s psyche because I knew how significant her work (e.g. the Haunting of Hill House) is in the horror genre. Imagine my disappointment when I came to find out that it is less a memoir and more of an outtake of what it’s like to be a housewife in the 50s (or what you’re expected to be). There’s nothing really discussing her personal life outside of her kids; never is there a mention of her life as a writer. There is the hint of what might be satirical commentary on her life and society, but overall, the book comes across as somewhat antiquated. I couldn’t decide if the book is Jackson being cleverly critical or just doing exactly as it seems, trying to paint herself as the “perfect” housewife. I ended up thinking it must be somewhere in between. Franklin goes deep into what Jackson was trying to get at with these memoirs and what motivated her to write them, and it seems I was mostly right about it being a mix of critic and showcasing. My point here is that the memoir left me wanting. I realized it was never meant to be an honest peak into Jackson’s life.

I approached this biography hoping for a deeper dive into her personal life as well as into her mind. Thankfully, that is exactly what I got. This biography excels because it is more than just an outline of her life; it’s a detailed look at how her life fed into her work and vice versa. Franklin’s expertise as a literary critic really shines through in this aspect. This is as much a critical analysis of Shirley Jackson’s literary works as it is of her life. As someone who has come to enjoy reading memoirs and biographies of celebrities and other significant people in history, I must say this is one of the best that I’ve ever read. Sure, I am biased as a fan of Jackson, especially after learning more about her, but objectively speaking, there is so much here to love.

It is at times almost academic in its detail, but never is a dull. The hardest part is adjusting to just how dense the story is, but it quickly morphs into a compelling story of Jackson’s life. This book is very long—over 600 pages, but never was I bored. I found myself lying in bed at night listening to the audiobook eager to find out what happened next. Needless to say, this book is a masterpiece. I absolutely loved it.

That said, there are caveats. Because this is a literally analysis, Franklin walks us through every single significant work that Jackson wrote. That means spoiling the big reveals and walking us through the arc of Jackson’s books and stories. That includes how the story originates and how it eventually morphs into what we read today. Of course, if you haven’t read all of Jackson’s work and intend to, you absolutely should read those first. I’m not the kind of person who is bothered by spoilers. Plus, I’m often very forgetful, so hopefully it won’t affect my enjoyment when I get around to reading Jackson’s other works.

While I highly recommend you read Jackson’s works before this biography, the exception to that would be Jackson’s memoirs. I mentioned before how the memoirs felt very calculated and almost disingenuous. It’s interesting to hear Franklin discussion of these, and given the somewhat dated nature of these memoirs, I think that they would work better if read with Franklin’s analysis as a frame of reference. Sure you could read the memoirs, then the biography, and reread the memoirs for a complete experience. Except, I don’t think her memoirs are worth the added effort of rereading. The most fascinating side of it comes from Franklin’s analysis. Quite frankly, if you aren’t a Jackson fan working your way through all of her works, I don’t think they’re worth reading in the first place, but that’s your decision to make.

Memory and Delusion | The New Yorker

As a person, Jackson doesn’t come across as the most likable. There are aspects of her life that a very pitiful; she has “a rather haunted life” indeed. She suffered in a mediocre marriage with a husband who was not good to her. She had a mother who was insufferable and unfair, and that doesn’t even consider the everyday struggles of being a woman in a patriarchal society. As a result, she suffered with addiction to alcohol and drugs that were prescribed to her. She also struggled with her weight. All of this would lead to her untimely death before the age of 50.

There are other details that were interesting to learn about. One thing that really stood out for me was her friendship with Ralph Ellison. I never knew how close they were, and Franklin seems to suggest that the two’s friendship may have fed into their work. It makes me want to reread his book, Invisible Man (not to be confused with HG Wells the Invisible Man). Another thing worth noting is that there were moments in Jackson’s life where she expressed some homophobic ideas. Franklin says she is a product of her time, but it is disappointing nonetheless. I also find it hard to sympathize with someone who comes from wealth. At the same time, Jackson’s story is humanizing because it shows how even people of a higher class have their own struggles. Besides, Jackson wasn’t rich her entire life even if her parents were well off. They still struggled, and that was very much apparent throughout Jackson’s life.

No one is perfect, and that is especially true for Jackson. Nevertheless, I’m still left mesmerized by Jackson as a person and as a writer. This was a fantastic book as I’ve made abundantly clear. There are plenty of biographies I have loved reading, but few add as much to the conversation as Franklin’s work. What’s more, rarely does the person being discussed feel quite as significant as Jackson does. Part of that is Jackson herself, but it’s also a biproduct of Franklin’s hard work. 5/5 stars

The Halloween Movie Tag where I talk briefly about Jackson’s adaptions, among others.
Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery full short film adaption (1969)
Trailer for the largely praised, the Haunting, based on the Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
The trailer for the 2018 TV adaption (loosely adapted).

Robin by Dave Itzkoff ★★★★½

by Josh Hedgepeth, posted in Books, Favorites, Reading

Read 1/13/20 – 1/14/20

This was an absolute pleasure to read. I was heartbroken when I heard of Robin Williams passing, now over 5 years ago. He was one of the earliest influences on my life from Aladdin to Mrs. Doubtfire. What’s more, he was one of the first people that I recognized in my childhood. That is to say, I didn’t recognize every celebrity I saw, but he was one of the first I came to recognize as significant in a lot of the things that I loved. I felt like I knew him and as if he was a piece of my childhood. It was a sad lost. I watched HBO’s documentary of him, Robin Williams: Come Inside my mind, a heartfelt portrayal of his life. I recommend it to any of his finally I’ll probably rewatch myself eventually.

The Documentary of Robin Williams: Come Inside my Mind

I decided to read this novel largely because I found it on Bookoutlet. I did not hear a lot press about the book, and Robin Williams is the kind of person who likely has multiple “biographies” written about him. I don’t know if this is the best one, but it is the one I read. It was satisfying. I want to make that clear. It felt like a complete picture of his life with context to help us understand his state of mind at each point. That said, it was his life largely as it related to his professional life. It was almost as if I was hearing a run through of Williams’ Wikipedia page of all the different jobs through his life.

The question becomes, what makes it special. How is it more than just a Wikipedia article? I think Itzkoff does a good job of trying these periods together with unique context in a way that is likely to appeal to a Robbin Williams fan. It seems hard to think anyone reading this wasn’t a Williams fan, but if they did, I do wonder if they’d question the substance. The context we get never digs deep into Williams personal life. Don’t get me wrong, we get information about his family life and the things he did and how it effected his personal life, but rarely, if ever, do we learn about a detail of his life that doesn’t connect to his professional life.

It may be said that it is just that his professional life was his life. A fan or friend of Williams may also suggest a truly respectful biography wouldn’t be a scandalous tabloid of his personal life. I think that is why I still really enjoyed this because we get personal details, but it is largely things that he was already public about. Towards the end of his life, there are details we learn about that he wasn’t as open about (e.g. Parkinson’s diagnosis). However, the result of such a work is little to no new details about his life.

A lot of what we learn is public knowledge. The context gives a unique insight into his life. However, most of these details are probably already out there. As a fan, I love that it is presented here in a clear and precise way. It creates a complete story of his life that I found fascinating to learn. Nevertheless, a lot of it felt like stuff I already knew or could have found out easily with a bit of online research. That is why I say I am not sure if this is for someone who isn’t a Williams fan. I valued Williams and I love the opportunity to see his life presented in this fashion. However, it isn’t exactly an expose of never before seen gossip which may be what some readers are hoping for.

That concludes my general assessment of the novel, but I also want to discuss how this effected my view of Williams. I do feel like I have a better appreciation for what drove him and the struggles he was succumbing to. Particularly towards the end of his life. His comedy and wit was his life, and to have that taken from him (as it is now known to have been happening, beyond just Parkinson) must have been unbearable. Everything that he was was decaying, and it makes it easier to understand how he could have succumbed to suicide.

Lastly, this brought attention to Williams often sexist, and maybe even racist at times, comedy. No one is perfect. That said, we can recognize the good someone has done while still acknowledging the harm they’ve caused. It is tough, as a fan, to think about the fact that he was a little shitty in some areas, but does that diminish the good he did. He wasn’t a saint, but nor do I think the sexism was representative of him or his comedy. I also don’t think it is bad enough to absolutely undermine the joy most of his work brings (i.e. opposed to someone like Bill Cosby, where watching the Cosby show, for me, just isn’t possible). Anyways, I am digressing. This last point is a little out of left field, but it was something that I thought worth discussing.

I loved this book. I had hoped for more coming in, but in the end, I appreciate everything it provides 4.5/5 stars.

Rating Break Down
Writing Style (7%): 10/10
Content (15%): 8/10
Structure (15%): 10/10
Summary (1%): 10/10
Engagement (5%): 10/10
Enjoyment (25%): 10/10
Comprehension (20%): 10/10
Pacing (2%): 10/10
Desire to Reread (5%): 5/10
Special (5%): 7/10
Final Rating: 4.65/5
Note, each rating is weighted based on personal importance.

A tribute to Robin Williams by Melodysheep

Gather Together in My Name, by Maya Angelou ★★★★☆

by Josh Hedgepeth, posted in Books, Reading, Uncategorized

Introduction ~9/13/19

A few years ago I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the first of Dr, Maya Angelou’s Autobiography series. I did it during a year where I read only woman authors. I was familiar with Dr. Angelou; how could I not be. She is a legend after all. Unfortunately for me, I had avoided the Caged Bird because I am not usually too into autobiographies. Except, Dr. Maya Dr. Angelou presents her life in a fictional retelling that is both beautiful and gripping. It ended up being one of my favorite books of the year, if not of all time. Dr. Angelou writes in a way that is poetic and characters that are real. As an autobiography, realness may be expected, but the real surprise comes from the honest and openness with which she presents her life. It is hard not to fall in love with it. I wish I was more fluent in writing styles to say exactly what it is about her writing that makes it so unique, but it is unlike anyone else I’ve read.

I have always wanted to continue this series, but for so long all I’ve ever read (for pleasure) is via audiobooks. I tried so hard to find these on audio–audible, CD, and even tape. Unfortunately, the 6th entry in the series is the only other book on audio, and that’s abridged. Therefore, I am doing the unprecedented and actually reading the physical book. I do not want to be deprived of this series just because it isn’t on audio. I am nearly 30; I have plenty of time to read these if I set my mind to it. It may take me 40 minutes to read 10 pages of a mass market paperback. These are short books. What’s more, I hope this will improve my reading speeds (though I read a good bit in middle and high school and yet I am still slow).

I will finish this book. I am forcing myself to read at least one chapter a day/night. These are at times a page or two long, so it really is the bare minimum. However, it is rare that I don’t read multiple chapter, and even when I don’t, it is only my own poor time management skills that prevent me. Every time I start this book, I am amazed at how quickly she can pull me in, even in only a page or two. That is the power of Dr. Maya Dr. Angelou’s writing. Lastly, I hope to use this to prove to myself I can read physical books. There are plenty of other great stories I don’t read because of their not being on audio.

Update 9/18/19

I am writing this the same day as my introduction because I didn’t want to write about this if I wasn’t going to get invested first. I am about 35 pages in, maybe 20%, and it is amazing. I am happy that I finally re-immersed myself into Dr. Angelou’s works in part because it is so great, but also because it reassures me that my initial praise of the Caged Bird was justified. I mentioned before the realism, and that is all to present. Dr. Angelou walks us through her transition to adulthood, warts and all. This as much a story about survival as it is about learning. I suppose the question then becomes how can I learn from Dr. Angelou’s life. I may be a decade older, but I still have so much to learn.

Update 9/23/19

I am more than half way now through the novel (57%). I am loving this book. I actually read well over my personal requirement over the weekend as I relaxed at a nice cottage in northern Ontario. Dr. Maya Angelou is just a gem. Her writing still stands out as unlike anyone else I’ve read. There are moments I am infuriated and others I just laugh out load at the absurdity. What’s more, I am learning so much more about Dr. Angelou. There is something about her persona that made her almost godlike or angelic (angel is in her name), but she takes us to even the darkest parts of her younger years. She was a good women who did what she could to survive and take care of her son, but she also had prejudices and did some questionable things. Of course, Dr. Angelou never explicitly says she regrets these things. For all intents and purposes this isn’t her writing it, this is like any other novel with the protagonist giving their thoughts, as they see it. It provides a level of realness that is gripping but also inspiring. It is nice to see people we look up to are human; they too have made mistakes. The road to their success isn’t what we may think.

Finished 11/12/19

Up to this point, I have discussed everything I love about Maya Angelou and her autobiographies. The back of my copy says “Maya Angelou writes like an angel who has paid her dues in hell,” and I think this perfectly conveys the tone of the novel. Her writings are beautiful and moving. As I have said before, it is comforting to know that Angelou hasn’t lived a perfect life. She is someone who a lot of people look up to, myself included, and she shows how life is a process of mistakes and learning. All we can ever do is our best, admitting our mistakes along the way.

I am very happy I read this novel for all the reasons I’ve mentioned, but I do wish it was a more complete story. This is a collection of moments in Angelou’s life in young adulthood. Therefore, I wouldn’t expect it to be a complete history, but the structure is a bit disconcerting at times, jumping from one moment to the next sometimes without much connection. This is particularly abrupt near the end where it feels she is building to a big life lesson to conclude with. Then she concludes that bit of her life, and continues into another small bit of her life before she concludes the story.

It all just felt so abrupt. I wish the it was a more cohesive story overall; perhaps what we have would have worked better in the form of short stories. Nevertheless, the novel is still great at what it does: presenting us with a period of her life as a young mother. 4.25/5 stars

My favorite Quotes

The more I read, the more I find lines I find myself wanting to make note of for whatever reason, and I thought this would be the perfect place to talk about or at least list them.

I hated their stupidity, but more than that I hated being underestimated. If they only knew, they could strip buck naked and do the Sassy Sue wiggle and I would continue to sit, with my legs crossed, sipping the Dubonnet.

Page 41, 3rd paragraph, Mass Paperback Edition

Dr. Angelou has recently met a lesbian couple who invited her over to their place. While there, she quickly came to regret the visit, and made it clear she was not any way gay. Nevertheless, the couple began to kiss intimately to get a rise out of her, igniting this hilarious response.

He melted into the darker darkness. The following year I heard that he had blown his brains out with a shotgun on the day of his father’s funeral.

Page 71, final paragraph chapter 16., Mass Paperback Edition

Dr. Angelou meets with an old acquaintance who goes on an on about wanting to leave home but having to take care of his father, never letting Dr. Angelou talk. When she finally bids him farewell, things turned quickly turned morbid in a way that just caught me off Dr. guard because of how matter of fact it was.

But I too had some training–that is, “Never let white folks know what you really think. If you’re sad, laugh. If you’re bleeding inside, dance.”

Page 86, 3rd paragraph, Mass Paperback Edition

This may be the most profound quote I read. It speaks to what is like to be black, let alone a black woman, during this time. Everything will be used against you, and you have no choice but to be cautious. This has an uncanny similarity to Dr. Angelous poem, When I Think About My Self. This is probably my favorite poem, not just of hers (of which I’ve read only a few). Please, watch the clip below as she performs it.

She talks about an older women who has to let her employer talk down to her because it’s what she has to do to to get buy. Beyond on that, its about the sacrifices one has to make and the indignities you may have to endure in life and how strong a person that makes you. Now, I say that, but let me be clear, I am probably missing or misrepresenting parts of it. You can probably see similarities to the quote I’ve mentioned here. The quote even adds a level of weight to this poem too. I always saw it as Dr. Angelou writing about women who have to endure this, never realizing she was one of those women. Of course, it makes the tears all the more understandable.

Things had arranged themselves in my favor at last.

Page 87, 6th paragraph, Mass Paperback Edition

I hesitated to include this quote because it is seemingly small and unimportant. Sure, it speaks to a life of hardship which is all too accurate. What surprised me when I read it was that I couldn’t help but do a double take. Dr. Angelou has a way of getting things done and working with what she is given that almost gives the illusion of success. I mean, don’t get me wrong, everything she does seems to become a success, but not because it’s what she wanted. Rather, she makes the most of what she is given in a way that is inspiring and admirable.

He’s a man. He’s got a job and his health and strength. Some people have to make it through life with less.

Page 89, 1st paragraph, Mass Paperback Edition

I may be giving this more weight than was intended, but I felt like there was a lot to unpack here. Dr. Angelou’s grandmother (who raised her) is talking to her about Dr. Angelou’s brother, who Dr. Angelou feels needs to strive for more than just being a waiter. Overall, it seems to speak to the contentment some people have in life, contentment that Dr. Angelou just doesn’t have. It is hard to figure out if Mother (the name given to her grandmother) is speaking regretfully or a matter of fact, but it definitely feels like she’s targeting men in particular in a way that amused me.

People always said Uncle Sam would spend a thousand dollars to get you if you stole a three-cent stamp from him. He was more revengeful than God.

Page 92, 1st paragraph, Mass Paperback Edition

There isn’t much to unpack here. I thought this was cute and funny. Except, it’s also very poignant even today. With recent reporting by Propublica about the IRS targeting the poor more often then the rich seemingly because they’re easier to take down. The government is flawed in many ways with backward approaches to resolving issues.

Hell, I wouldn’t have recognized Stalin if he’d been in my class when I was fourteen. Literally, all white folks still looked alike to me: pale and similar.

Page 94, 1st paragraph, Mass Paperback Edition

This is equally amusing as it is concerning. Here she is discussing her attempt to apply to the army. She was so sure she would get in, but she was worried they may find out that she has a son. Come to find out, the only thing they cared about was her being apart of socialist group. They accused her of being a traitor of her country.

The only way I could be in the business was to give due service for the money paid. I decided privately that I would make each trick (each man) happy and forget the unbearable loneliness that sent him out in the rain searching for love.

Page 139, 1st paragraph, Mass Paperback Edition

This was her right as she naively entered into the prostitution business. She was driven by a manipulative older man who convinced her this was so they could be together, and she in turn convinced herself that what she was doing was honorable and for the good of the man. I thought this was an interesting way of describing it because I think she was trying to convey her own nativity during this time in her life.

Life Among Savages, by Shirley Jackson ★★★★☆

by Josh Hedgepeth, posted in Books, Reading, Uncategorized
Read 10/8/19 – 10/10/19

I read this on a whim. I’d only read The Haunting of Hill House and the Lottery by Jackson, but I wanted to learn more about her life and her mind. Rather than jump ahead in my TBR (which I was already ahead of schedule on), I choose to give this a shot. I am glad I did.

It’s odd going from Hill House to this because the tone is so different. This is a story about a mother and author. What we get is an inside look at her attempts to be proper and pristine in her doings, told over the course of a series of short stories originally published separately. It almost reads like a Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen, which is about a housewife who lives the life society expects of her until one day she decides she’s going to leave and make a life for herself. There are roughly 70 years between that play and this collection, and I can’t help but think the tone is deliberate and intended to convey commentary on her life.

Admittedly, there were moments where I wasn’t sure. I was maybe half way through and thought how delightful it was to read this book. It is funny and charming. She so eloquently conveys the innocence of her child and the indifference of her husband in so many things. Nevertheless, I found myself asking, what am I getting out of this? Sure I enjoy reading it, but if I am going to invest my time I want some overall substance to take away. I was ready to give it 4 stars for solid writing. I’ve since begun her collection of short stories, the Lottery and Other Stories, which includes one of the stories in this collection. It has solidified my belief that this is a commentary on life in her times.

I am not sure it is revealing enough. It leaves me wanting to know more, and I’ll probably read a more revealing biography (e.g. Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life which I am very eager to read). Personally, I think I can get a better sense of her view of society in her short story collection. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed reading this. 4.25/5 stars.