Book Review: My Reading Life

I've never read a stitch of Pat Conroy's writing. Indeed, I don't know a thing about his style or subjects, or if his work is full of profanity and unnecessary sensuality. The cover of this audio book, My Reading Life, enticed me with its winged birds emanating from a pile of books and the promise of hearing what one author read before setting out to write something himself. I'm always intrigued to discover what books a person credits with changing or influencing their life. Listening to Conroy list his favorites made me question my own selections. Do I read enough classics? Am I devouring everything from a writer to get a solid feel for their style and skill?

What a blessing his mother must have been in his life. My mother nurtured my love of reading and writing. She spurred me on to tackle the true greats, first by encouraging my siblings and me to read the books from our beloved "Authors" card game, and then by sorting through the recommended reading list provided in my Individualized Reading course during my senior year of high school. Conroy's mother was like my mother, only on steroids.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his deep homage to authors and their books. His writing sings with the possibility of literature to heal deep wounds. Books transport us out of misery and into mystical worlds. Through reading and writing, he processed his tough childhood. Although I was a Salvation Army officer's kid and not full military, I understood much of what he shared when detailing the difficulties of repeated uprooting, of suffocating expectations, and of relational limitations. I'm glad I listened to the audio version because it ended with an interview with the author - always a treat!