Book Reviews: A tale of two memoirs

I love to listen to audiobooks while I work in the garden,take a walk, or cook a meal. Recently, I borrowed two memoirs from my publiclibrary and was struck by the contrast. Both were written by famous people andnarrated by themselves. I was curious enough about each of them to listen totheir stories.

The first was Spare, by Prince Harry (Random House),mostly because it popped up on my screen. Okay, I thought, his perspective ongrowing up in the shadow of Princess Diana’s death should be be interesting.His life has been very different from (or, in Brit: to) mine.

Being in the public spotlight does not qualify a person towrite a compelling memoir, nor does belonging to a royal family confer theability to narrate with clarity and emotion. Spare fails on both counts.The charm of Harry’s accent lasted about five minutes, long enough for theemotional shallowness—a combination of the dry text and the manner in which itwas read aloud—and lack of awareness of his elite white privilege to wear thin.Since I know from my own experience what it’s like to lose a parent unexpectedly,I hoped I’d be able to connect with Harry’s loss. I found his denial of Diana’sdeath understandable as a child. The problem was that Harry, the adultlooking back, seemed to not have gained any insight or grown beyond denial as achildish survival strategy. I heard no understanding of how much he’d maturedthrough adversity, the pain he’d walked through. No connection between thatloss and the subsequent estrangements from other members of his family or themental health issues with which he struggled later in life. But there was lotsabout the privileged life where everything was provided without him having towork for it and which he accepted without question.

I finally gave up, so I never got to hear about his militaryservice or his courtship with Meghan Markle and how they made a life forthemselves apart from his royal relatives. I wish them well, but I found littlein this audiobook memoir to attract and hold my interest in who Harry is as aperson.

 

In contrast, Lovely One, A Memoir, by Ketanji BrownJackson (Random House) was a joy from start to finish. Jackson is the newestmember of the US Supreme Court and the first Black woman to be
confirmed tothat post. As a student, she excelled in public speaking and debate, tacklingchallenging topics with determination and extraordinary eloquence. Her facilitywith communicating complex ideas shines through her narrative, as does her lovefor her family, her capacity for enduring friendship, her passion for justice,and her unwavering courage. Whether she is talking about the African origin ofher name, the environment of racism and misogyny prevalent in here field eventoday, her and her husband’s struggles to maintain separate careers whileraising two daughters, one of whom is autistic, she speaks with unusual clarityand persuasiveness. I loved every minute of her story. In another life, I want to be her best friend.

Highly recommended.