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- Womens memoirs - |
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A Season in Hell: A Memoir |
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 A Season in Hell: A Memoir byMarilyn French Random House Canada (Ballantine Books) 256 Pgs, May 2000 ISBN No 0345412680 Reviewed by Marion E. Cason Marilyn French, well-known for Our Father, The War Against Women and The Women's Room among others, shares with us her memoirs about her bout with esophageal cancer. Not only does Marilyn French share with us her pain and mental state during this horror, but also her growth and understanding about life. When Marilyn is diagnosed with cancer, her children, family and devoted friends gather around her and stay with her the whole time. In a conversational way, she describes her experiences with doctors, her hospital stays, and the lack of information at what she can expect with her course of chemotherapy and radiation. This increases her anxiety and enrages her. Her family and friends encourage her to rise above this disease, to beat the odds and to become whole again. She examines her life and beliefs, and draws on her inner strength to fight her illness. Her writing also helps keep her mind sharp and focused. Marilyn takes charge of her care. A turning point is reached when she demands actions and answers for her illness. Although there are still difficulties, Marilyn stays in control. She becomes acutely aware of what her body can and cannot tolerate, and uses that knowledge to help her with the treatment. This memoir of an illness is well written, with great insight into the medical profession. Near the end of her memoir, Marilyn writes: "Most of us spend much of our lives simply coming to terms with the inexorable conditions of our lives. However, we ourselves choose the way we take, deal with, think and feel about, and respond to those conditions. This area of life, the experiential, is most completely ours; it is what defines us and the quality of our lives. It - not accomplishment, wealth, worldly power, or fame - is the only real measure of life. And only we ourselves can assign our lives a 'grade.' The richer, deeper, and more varied our thoughts and feelings, the wider and richer our interactions and connections, the richer our life. When we are old and look back, it is only this that matters. The rest is all props." A great book to ponder. |
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