Summer is almost here and the beach is calling. I am happy to report that I am making my way through my new year’s book list.
Fashion Climbing — Bill Cunningham. I started with this outlandish memoir and could not be more thankful for Cunningham’s injection of creativity into 2019. 1950s hat maker extraordinaire, Cunningham had a gift few possess: he knew who he was from a young age. To say he was daring doesn’t do him justice; he was loyal to his imagination and he never gave up. Fashion Climbing is also a love letter to a long gone New York, where you could barter cleaning services for a floor of a brownstone in the 50s. Nothing matches the scene where Cunningham, preparing for a hat showing and running out of space, hangs furniture from clothesline out the back window.
Becoming — Michelle Obama. There are no words to describe the power of this book. It should, simply put, be required reading for everyone. Obama, in a natural voice that makes you feel she is in the room, tells her story with honesty and humor. Unlike Cunningham, Obama did things the way they were supposed to be done; she worked hard as a student, went to college, then law school. One day, she realized she was a “box checker” and, having ticked off each one on her list, did not like practicing law. Now what? This is where the journey becomes the ultimate challenge, because Obama has to find out who she really is, and, not surprisingly, there is no box to check off in this category.
Yorkville Twins — Joseph and John Gindele. This marvelous memoir is a testament to the power of self publishing. The Gindeles grew up in the tenements of Yorkville, my childhood home, and decided to listen to friends and relatives who insisted they write a book. I found it by accident, while doing research on my Yorkville novella. It could not be more delightful, filled with stories of a vibrant ethnic enclave that is no more.