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- South African authors - Autobiography - |
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My Plunge to Fame |
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| My Plunge to Fame by Gaynor Young Spearhead Press [a division of David Philip Publishers] 227 pages, 2000 ISBN 1919780602 Reviewed by our South African Editor Merilyn Tomkins adams.west@saol.com - Adams Bookshop, Durban, SA Read our author interview This is the autobiography of Gaynor Young, candidly written. Gaynor was a promising South African actress who had a tragic and near-fatal accident that put an end to a very promising acting and singing career. In December 1989, Gaynor stepped onto the stage of the State Theatre in Pretoria, South Africa, to debut as Guinevere in the musical Camelot. Kate Normington who had this role was ill. Gaynor had only one rehearsal before the show, without the usual cues. What should have been the most important night in Gaynor's life proved to be catastrophic. Mistakenly, Gaynor stepped into an unguarded lift shaft and fell 18 metres. She came close to death and spent weeks in a comatose state. She spent months in hospital and rehabilitation, and was left with severe physical damage, disabled with brain damage. "I am spastic, I limp, I've got a squonk face and I'm deaf". Rather than allow herself self-pity, Gaynor gritted her teeth and with support from various sources, got to work to make the best of her radically changed life. She then turned her tragedy into words that became a script, put on a big crooked smile and got up on stage to tell the world that her handicaps were not going to be the end, but a beginning. This autobiography is a wonderful read. Not only is Gaynor's story poignant and very moving, she also has a sense of humour. Small wonder every time she speaks she holds her audience in the palm of her hand. Although deaf, she is aware she is making her audience laugh by the wide grins on their faces. Gaynor's friends Shirley and Dave invited friends to Gaynor's birthday party. Gaynor had not done any cooking since the accident. She used to be a "dab hand" at making a lemon meringue pie and determined to assist Shirley in the kitchen. "While Shirley was busy making a salmon mousse on one side of the kitchen, I set about my task on the other. I put all the Marie biscuits into an old Pick 'n Pay packet ready for crushing later. Previously, when I had made lemon meringue pie, I had had to do it all by hand. Not so at Shirley's. Oh no! An electric fruit squeezer to draw the juice from thelemons, an electric mixer to mix the condensed milk with the lemon juice. I was really enjoying myself. Next, I decided to make the pie's base. Crushed biscuits mixed with melted butter. I took hold of the Pick 'n Pay packet with the biscuits and looked around the kitchen. I needed a flat, hard surface. The granite kitchen counter top would do perfectly. I gripped the Pick 'n Pay packet firmly in my hands. Like an axe-man chopping wood, I swung the packet high in the air and then brought it down hard on the kitchen counter. CRASH. Shirley turned, started. CRASH. "What are you doing?" CRASH "I'm crushing the Marie Biscuits." CRASH "I always do it this way." CRASH "But, Gaynor...." CRASH "Are you sure....?" CRASH. I didn't hear the rest of her sentence. CRASH. "That should do it." CRASH. "Once more for luck." CRASH. I opened the packet. Inside it were two dozen smashed eggs. A strangled cry behind me made me turn around. There was Shirley doubled over, with the Pick'n Pay packet of uncrushed Marie biscuits in her hand. We looked at the sodden mess of crushed eggs and laughed till the tears poured down our cheeks. We laughed. And laughed. And laughed. We had to buy another two dozen eggs." This story is typical of the anecdotes found in Gaynor Young's autobiography, adding spice and hilarity to the story of an exceptionally courageous young woman. |
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