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Starting In the Middle
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 5, 2017
A friend recommended this book to me, first and foremost because of its prophetic coincidence, and also for the writing as it now fit into the author's life and death circumstances. For Judith Wax, "Starting In The Middle" was her fist novel, published at the age of 47. She'd been married in the fifties and had written articles for various publications, but never actively pursued a career as a writer until that time. Her husband, Sheldon Wax, was the Managing Editor of Playboy magazine. They had two grown children.
On page 191 of the book, she wrote about a job she had taken for a short time (a year and a half) when her children were eleven and nine. In that paragraph she wrote: "When the job required travel, I developed such a fear of airplanes my head trembled from takeoff to landing." On May 25, 1979, she and her husband were traveling to The American Booksellers Association for a convention in Los Angeles. They lived in Chicago and were departing from O'Hare Airport. They were two of the 271 victims that died when the aircraft crashed and burned on take-off. It was American Airlines...flight 191.
Being somewhat skeptical of this numeric coincidence, I checked to see if the book had possibly been published after the flight and this paragraph strategically placed on that same page. Don't know why it occurred to me that this might be possible, but it did. However, the book had been published and released in January, 1979, four months before this tragic accident and had not been manipulated. It made me wonder if she had been, in some way, for some reason, aware of this as she boarded the plane? Probably not.
There is the possibility that I've given this book the top rating as somewhat of a homage to the author. That may be true, but I really don't think that came into play. The writing is filled with humor and sentiment and factual, life experiences of coming into middle age and the ups and downs associated with this transition. Although it covers a different time (from fifties through seventies) so much of what she's written certainly applies for those coming into middle age today. This is not a book I would have selected to read, but very glad I did. In her writing, Judith Wax explores her transition from that fifties housewife and mother into the very different world that evolved in the sexual revolution of the late sixties and early seventies, and also the empowerment of women during that time. It's interesting to read how this effected her children and how she met these challenges in life. At the same time, it was a very bitter-sweet read, given the known circumstances of her death shortly after its publication. It is so well-written and so happy and sad and just a really good read. So glad for my friend's recommendation and I would certainly recommend this to others as well.
On page 191 of the book, she wrote about a job she had taken for a short time (a year and a half) when her children were eleven and nine. In that paragraph she wrote: "When the job required travel, I developed such a fear of airplanes my head trembled from takeoff to landing." On May 25, 1979, she and her husband were traveling to The American Booksellers Association for a convention in Los Angeles. They lived in Chicago and were departing from O'Hare Airport. They were two of the 271 victims that died when the aircraft crashed and burned on take-off. It was American Airlines...flight 191.
Being somewhat skeptical of this numeric coincidence, I checked to see if the book had possibly been published after the flight and this paragraph strategically placed on that same page. Don't know why it occurred to me that this might be possible, but it did. However, the book had been published and released in January, 1979, four months before this tragic accident and had not been manipulated. It made me wonder if she had been, in some way, for some reason, aware of this as she boarded the plane? Probably not.
There is the possibility that I've given this book the top rating as somewhat of a homage to the author. That may be true, but I really don't think that came into play. The writing is filled with humor and sentiment and factual, life experiences of coming into middle age and the ups and downs associated with this transition. Although it covers a different time (from fifties through seventies) so much of what she's written certainly applies for those coming into middle age today. This is not a book I would have selected to read, but very glad I did. In her writing, Judith Wax explores her transition from that fifties housewife and mother into the very different world that evolved in the sexual revolution of the late sixties and early seventies, and also the empowerment of women during that time. It's interesting to read how this effected her children and how she met these challenges in life. At the same time, it was a very bitter-sweet read, given the known circumstances of her death shortly after its publication. It is so well-written and so happy and sad and just a really good read. So glad for my friend's recommendation and I would certainly recommend this to others as well.
April 4, 2018
there is a whole story to this book & why I bought it. I learned about Judith when I was in Chicago for marketing convention & it was that same summer a plane was shot out of the sky on the way to Bali. Because I happened to be in Chicago when this happened, the news stations kept recapping the fatal airplane accident in Chicago...Judith had just written this book, "Starting in the Middle," and she was flying to LA to promote when the accident happened & this would be her final book.
What can I tell you? The year was 2012 and I had just finished my first book, Middle Age Beauty.
That alone startled me. However, I knew that I must have Judith's book.
And yes. I haven't finished it. I read bits and pieces of it. In some ways, in my mind it keeps the spirit of Judith alive in my mind's view....paying homage to this gifted writer, writing candidly about middle age, a book way beyond its time.
A must read if you like essay type writers, non fiction memoirs or books dealing with midlife themes.
I plan on taking a lifetime to keep reading so Judith's words live on..
What can I tell you? The year was 2012 and I had just finished my first book, Middle Age Beauty.
That alone startled me. However, I knew that I must have Judith's book.
And yes. I haven't finished it. I read bits and pieces of it. In some ways, in my mind it keeps the spirit of Judith alive in my mind's view....paying homage to this gifted writer, writing candidly about middle age, a book way beyond its time.
A must read if you like essay type writers, non fiction memoirs or books dealing with midlife themes.
I plan on taking a lifetime to keep reading so Judith's words live on..
July 8, 2021
Great book, and not much has changed in the 41 years since Judith Wax published her book. The crash deprived us of Judith Wax’s wise and funny voice, it was a great loss.
January 21, 2010
Funny and insightful
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews