Book Number Nine

This is the book that got wet. I was absolutely distraught when my entire Sigg bottle of water dumped on the new hardcover by one of my favorite people I have yet to meet. I have loved Mary Pipher since the day she published Reviving Ophelia. That book was the reason I entered the profession of school counseling and became so interested in young women's issues. I may never get to meet Mary Pipher and let her know the impact her writing has had on my life (Letters to a Young Therapist, Another Country etc.) Knowing her through this book was the next best thing.

After the surprising success of Reviving Ophelia, Pipher was overwhelmed by the attention and demands on her time. In 2002, after a personal crisis, Pipher realized that success and fame were harming her, and she began working to find a quieter, more meditative life that would carry her toward self-acceptance and joy. Her book explores all these issues. I love her chapter titles: The Glad Game, Avalanche of Roses, A Bigger Container and Stopping for Joshua Bell. When she writes about her sixtieth birthday party and the creative presents she received from family, I wanted to sign up as her daughter right then and there. I'm not sure I want to move to Nebraska but her life is one I want to lead: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Pipher could easily be a carbon copy of myself. Pipher describes her scattered nature perfectly as "going meta." "While my laid back, slow talking husband finishes a sentence, my mind jogs three laps around town and gerenates a dozen new observations and plans." After reading her self descriptions in the preface, I just knew the entire autobiography would be about ME.

My reading of this book was less than optimal. It traveled with me to San Diego Marine Camp and then endured the aforementioned flood. I will try to re-visit the book again down the road as I know Pipher's quest for peace and embracing of meditation could be quite meaningful in my life. This is a deeply personal, courageously honest, and ultimately very inspiring book.