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340th out of 1,229 books
—
6,471 voters
The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir
by
Diana Welch (Goodreads Author),
Amanda Welch (Goodreads Author), Liz Welch (Goodreads Author), Dan Welch (Goodreads Author)
“Perfect is boring.”
Well, 1983 certainly wasn’t boring for the Welch family. Somehow, between their handsome father’s mysterious death, their glamorous soap-opera-star mother’s cancer diagnosis, and a phalanx of lawyers intent on bankruptcy proceedings, the four Welch siblings managed to handle each new heartbreaking misfortune in the same way they dealt with the unexpecte...more
Well, 1983 certainly wasn’t boring for the Welch family. Somehow, between their handsome father’s mysterious death, their glamorous soap-opera-star mother’s cancer diagnosis, and a phalanx of lawyers intent on bankruptcy proceedings, the four Welch siblings managed to handle each new heartbreaking misfortune in the same way they dealt with the unexpecte...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
September 29th 2009
by Crown Publishing Group
(first published February 29th 2000)
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In the same vein as Glass Castle, Finding Fish or Running with Scissors; wonderfully written memoir. The Welch kids and their mother inspire us to live every day to the fullest and enjoy every day together. Love the incorporation of family photos into the book and full updates of where they are now and how they are all THRIVING! (I couldn't put this down, 5 day read)
The Kids are All Right is a memoir written by the Welch siblings, Diana, Dan, Amanda and Liz. They had the perfect family, their mother was a soap opera star and their father was a hard working man. Everything seemed to be going fine but one day, their father died and everything started to fall apart. The Welchs couldn't cope with what was happen within their family and now with their mother being diagnosed with cancer their life just went down in a spiral. This memoir is about those hardships a...more
This book is about a family of kids were both the parents died and how they reacted and lived during and after their deaths. The father died early in the book, in a car accident and the family was left with his debt. They sort of go into it a little, but it ends pretty quickly when the mother gets cancer and fights a very long battle with it. I read this book on the day the mother died, but 24 years later. Crazy. Anyway, the oldest kid is already out of the house, the second only has one year le...more
2.0 out of 5 stars Just another 'misery' memoir..., December 20, 2009
This review is from: The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I read all the positive reviews of this memoir co-authored by the four Welch children whose father died suddenly when they were very young. Unfortunately, after selecting and muddling through the book, I came away with a very different opinion about it. Mostly -- who cares? Yes, it was sad that the child...more
This review is from: The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I read all the positive reviews of this memoir co-authored by the four Welch children whose father died suddenly when they were very young. Unfortunately, after selecting and muddling through the book, I came away with a very different opinion about it. Mostly -- who cares? Yes, it was sad that the child...more
1 like · like · see review
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This is my "people magazine" book of the season--an entertaining and easy-to-read real-life story. And it was a good one. Once again affirming that you can't make it up--truth is definitely stranger than fiction.
Although, as the Welch children point out in their introduction, the "truth" of memory is dependent on many things, age and time and context forever tainting what gets lodged into your brain synapses. And so each of the four siblings relates their own filtered impressions in alternating...more
Although, as the Welch children point out in their introduction, the "truth" of memory is dependent on many things, age and time and context forever tainting what gets lodged into your brain synapses. And so each of the four siblings relates their own filtered impressions in alternating...more
Jackie says:
This is an amazing book in numerous ways. First of all, the fact that
four siblings could join together to write a book is impressive.
Their stories, individually and together, are riveting. First they
lose their father to a questionable car accident. Then they discover
that he left their family $1million in debt. Then, only a month after
his funeral, their mom is diagnosed with cancer. They all are tossed
about by changes in addresses and schools and with the needs of their
dying mo...more
This is an amazing book in numerous ways. First of all, the fact that
four siblings could join together to write a book is impressive.
Their stories, individually and together, are riveting. First they
lose their father to a questionable car accident. Then they discover
that he left their family $1million in debt. Then, only a month after
his funeral, their mom is diagnosed with cancer. They all are tossed
about by changes in addresses and schools and with the needs of their
dying mo...more
This memoir is a game-changer - a book that stops telling about the complexities of memory and simply shows (pay attention, David Shields). The Welch's "hunch", that "Everyone has the right to his or her version of the truth, and respecting that right can lead to forgiveness" is the overarching principle of the book, wherein each sibling takes turns writing chapters. Entire scenes of traumatic events - filled with detail and description - are complicated by another sibling calling basic facts in...more
I really loved this book. At first I was a little bit thrown off by the different points of view, but after I got used to it, I loved it. It was relatable for me; I have lost both of my parents, one very recently. Although I have no siblings, and found myself envying the authors for having each other.
I saw someone call this a "misery memoir" in one of their reviews and believe that is a simple way to shut out a book that is much more than that. Some people just can't take the truth. I really re...more
I saw someone call this a "misery memoir" in one of their reviews and believe that is a simple way to shut out a book that is much more than that. Some people just can't take the truth. I really re...more
2 likes · like · see review
"The Kids Are All Right" by the four Welch siblings (Amanda, Liz, Dan, and Diana) is an interesting book told with honesty and simplicity by all four. I liked the short chapters, little bursts of memories. I was surprised to see some readers on Amazon reviewed these writers as "spoiled grown ups." They endured too much in their young lives when their father died in a car accident and then their mother fought but died of cancer. At the time of this loss, they were three teens plus their younger s...more
This is an amazing book in numerous ways. First of all, the fact that
four siblings could join together to write a book is impressive.
Their stories, individually and together, are riveting. First they
lose their father to a questionable car accident. Then they discover
that he left their family $1million in debt. Then, only a month after
his funeral, their mom is diagnosed with cancer. They all are tossed
about by changes in addresses and schools and with the needs of their
dying mother. After her dea...more
four siblings could join together to write a book is impressive.
Their stories, individually and together, are riveting. First they
lose their father to a questionable car accident. Then they discover
that he left their family $1million in debt. Then, only a month after
his funeral, their mom is diagnosed with cancer. They all are tossed
about by changes in addresses and schools and with the needs of their
dying mother. After her dea...more
In The Kids are All Right, four siblings produce a fresh take on the familial memoir. This book billed for lovers of The Liar’s Club and The Glass Castle stands on its own against these genre standards, not so much for its dramatic subject matter, but more for the unique way it is constructed and the instant affinity the authors inspire. While peppering every page with nostalgic 80’s references, the Welch children (Amanda, Liz, Dan and Diana) alternate their points of view detailing their losses...more
I tend to love fiction with multiple points of view, finding it more reliable somehow--and so it is with nonfiction as well, at least in the case of "The Kids are All Right". No two people in any family I've ever encountered have exactly the same experience of the same event(s), and "Kids" bears this out. I loved the unflinching honesty and the humor of this family, but what really jumped out of these pages is the fierce unconditional love and acceptance between this group of siblings despite th...more
I really wanted to like this book. I feel like a bad person for saying "mean" things about it. I just felt that it might have worked better if only one of the siblings had actually written it. Liz and Diana are the superior writers; I was suprised an editor would allow the tics to stand in Amanda's and Dan's contributions (lots of "like, then he was, like, and like, I was mad" and lots of "this"--"there was this guy", "there was this store", "I went with this girl"--maybe that's just a personal...more
There are a few books that really get under your skin and this was one of them for me. I don’t know what I was expecting when I first started to read “The Kids are All Right” but it certainly wasn’t a sad walk down memory lane. That’s not to say I didn’t like this book because really I did. It just touched on some of the unhappy times in my own life.
There are a lot of similarities I share with the Welch kids. I lost both my parents in a short span when I was very young. I came to depend on my si...more
There are a lot of similarities I share with the Welch kids. I lost both my parents in a short span when I was very young. I came to depend on my si...more
This story is about a wealthy family who lived in a NYC suburb. The father was an investment banker and the mother an actress who starred in several soap operas and commercials. In the 70s, the family was rocked by a shocking car accident that took their father's life and the discovery that he was millions of dollars in debt. A month later, the mother discovers she has cervical cancer. In 3 years, the mother dies with her children largely being forced to be her caretakers. A trust fund the mothe...more
A deep, thoughtful book written by four siblings reflecting on their life growing up after both their dad and mom passed away. It's devastating when children go through such hardships, but their love for each other and bond was very touching. I enjoyed reading all four perspectives; it was very honest as one commented on an experience while another admitted that they did not remember it happening that way at all. It just goes to show that experiences impact each person in a different and unique...more
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You know when you sit around with your brothers and sisters talking about your childhood memories? And it drives you crazy because you seem to remember events completely differently? This memoir, co-written by four siblings trying to recreate the crazy events of their childhoods, celebrates those different memories. Of course each child sees their memories through the eyes of a pre-schooler, or a drug and alcohol-addled teen, or an older college age adult trying desperately to grab all the piece...more
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okay, but I am biased. I wrote this! But WITH my sister, Diana, so I feel like I can brag on her. She really is the most poetic writer--there is a line about the moment Diana, then 8, learns our mother has died. She says, "I don't remember if I cried. I do remember that I felt like cotton, floating apart from the stem." One of the many lines that slayed me. My brother, Dan, and my big sister Amanda contributed their own stories too to make this memoir--Dan is the best raconteur-he made our job o...more
This was an interesting memoir for me because as an oldest child, I often worried/wondered what would happen to myself and younger siblings if something happened to our parents. Luckily, that dind't come to pass, as evidenced by the tortured paths each of the Welch children took to what appears to be normalcy as adults. The alternating voices kept the pace of the book flowing and interesting, but it also made it harder to connect with any one sibling. Since each got a short "say" on a topic or e...more
This book deserves 3 1/2 stars. I read it in 4 days and it was very interesting!! It's a memoir about 4 siblings growing up without their parents. It was heartbreaking to read, but it also touched me in a way that made me appreciate the family I do have, especially my siblings. Some of the trials and afflictions the siblings went through were depressing, but at the same time I am amazed at how well they turned out.
I liked having four voices in the story, although Diana and Liz are definitely muc...more
I liked having four voices in the story, although Diana and Liz are definitely muc...more
This non-fiction book is a biography told in four sibling voices! It is confusing to others to have the title of this book the same as the popular 2010 award-winning movie, but it is NOT the same story. This is about four children left orphaned by their parents' untimely deaths, and their adjustments while maturing into the people they would become despite their sadness and difficult circumstances. At the time they were left orphaned, they were 19, 15, 13, and 7. Each of them writes his or her o...more
Oh wow, I loved it.
There's just something so affecting about a memoir, because you know it's true. The pictures and the afterwords... they just made the rest of the text hit harder.
I loved it, I seriously did. I loved each and every one of the siblings, and I felt for them every second of the way. I wanted to grab Diana out of that house and just take her to her siblings, because reading those chapters made me absolutely sick. I wanted to rip the pages out when the grandmother asked her to cal...more
There's just something so affecting about a memoir, because you know it's true. The pictures and the afterwords... they just made the rest of the text hit harder.
I loved it, I seriously did. I loved each and every one of the siblings, and I felt for them every second of the way. I wanted to grab Diana out of that house and just take her to her siblings, because reading those chapters made me absolutely sick. I wanted to rip the pages out when the grandmother asked her to cal...more
A memoir written by 4 siblings. Liked the way it was written with each taking their turn telling their memory of a particular event/time. And like any family, they don't all remember things the same or give the same importance to particular memories. The book opens with a page about memory and includes the statement that "we have each told the truth, and each truth is our own."
Given the tragedy of the death of their father and then their mother after an extended bout with cancer and then the kid...more
Given the tragedy of the death of their father and then their mother after an extended bout with cancer and then the kid...more
Outstanding memoir written by four siblings recalling what began as a perfect childhood but soon changed following the close deaths of both of their parents. After the mom (who was a recognizable soap opera actress) died a slow death to cancer, all the Welch kids were put into different homes, some permanently living with families they had never met. This book is the memory of those dark and challenging years from each one of the children, and their struggle to reunite. Even though each "kid" ha...more
Heart-wrenching memoir from siblings who lost their father and then their dynamic mother in quick succession and were separated as no one person "wanted" them all. I love that they offered different, sometimes conflicting viewpoints and that there was a (mostly) "happy" ending. At least as happy as one can get in a messy kind of life. I also liked that they weren't judgmental about their parents' foibles, without being blindly adulatory either. The four authors were admirably honest though at ti...more
This book has stayed with me for months after finishing it. The Welch kids survived losing both parents within a short time, being shuttled around to different friends and schools, and ultimately reuniting and coming together to write this book. Told from the alternating perspectives of each sibling, it is written in a very conversational tone and related to me as a 40-year-old woman (the same age as Liz Welch) not only from the point of view that we shared the same cultural references but also...more
I enjoyed this sad memoir about four siblings who lose both parents within an 18-month span, before the kids are grown. (Reminiscent of Dave Eggers...) Two sisters do the bulk of the story telling, but all four voices relate their memories and impressions of that time. I was interested because it takes place in my area, and the place names are well known to me. I gave it only 3 stars, however, because I sense that a lot of the story remains untold...left out. The youngest child, in particular, s...more
This book is not the basis of the movie that is up for an Academy Award. It is a memoir about four siblings who were orphaned. It serves as a reminder that if you have children, you should make a plan to ensure they will be taken care of should something happen to both parents. The four Welch children lost both of their parents to an accident and illness within three years. By the time both parents were gone, the oldest child was 19 and the youngest was 7 years old. The four children were scatte...more
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I wrote a book with my siblings called The Kids are All Right which has nothing to do with lesbians or sperm banks. Starring: Ann Williams, Famous Soap Star, and a bunch of unknown actors.
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“...my sisters are tough. Our strength is in our laughter (Dan)”
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