Dream Me Home Safely: Writers on Growing Up in America – Intimate Essays on Diverse Childhoods

by Marian Wright Edelman (Foreword), Susan Richards Shreve (Editor)

In the title essay of this extraordinary keepsake of childhood in America, John Edgar Wideman pays fierce tribute to a complex mother who "used to dream me home safely by sitting up and waiting for me to stumble in." The young writer Bich Minh Nguyen remembers arriving in Michigan from Vietnam in 1975 and a classmate who said, "Your house smells funny," and Michael Parker recalls a sister's vivid -- and hilarious -- act of defiance on a particular North Carolina evening in 1971. These and many more intensely intimate memories make Dream Me Home Safely a collection as diverse and powerful as all of American letters.

Genres: Memoir

223 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Marian Wright Edelman is an American activist for children's rights. She has been an advocate for disadvantaged Americans for her entire professional life. She is founder and president emerita of the Children's Defense Fund. She influenced leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Hillary Clinton.

Reviews

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visited some authors I've read before.

[Maureen Neville · Rating 5 out of 5]

This compilation of essays by well known writers was both a nostalgic snapshot of childhood in America and also a rendering of family relationships, friendships and possibly neighborhoods that were influential in these people's lives. Published in 2003, a new edition featuring now current authors who've emerged in recent years and their childhood experiences in the U.S. would be interesting.

Another aspect of this collection is that several of these authors are very recognizable while others I'd not heard of, prompting research into what they've written. This was an added benefit of this collection.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great collection of stories and an excellent way to be introduced to a whole group of writers with whom I was not familiar. It gives me some ideas of some new authors to investigate further. This collection had stories of growing up in America that I could easily relate while others shared stories that were real eye-openers. Some were sad and others were humorous. I loved the fact that I could pick up the book, read two or three at a time and then put the book down for a few days while dealing with the holidays. Great choice if you are looking for something quick to finish up your challenge of the year.

[Marleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories about childhood experiences and how the shape who we become.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book of personal experiences of many different writers.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I liked it but was not overtop about it.