About the Book: A life of books. A life of soul. Professor Karen Swallow Prior poignantly and humorously weaves the two, until you can't tell one life from the other. Booked draws on classics like Great Expectations, delights such as Charlotte's Web, the poetry of Hopkins and Donne, and more. This thoughtful, straight-up memoir will be pure pleasure for book-lovers, teachers, and anyone who has struggled to find a way to articulate the inexpressible through a love of story.
My Thoughts:
From beginning to end, Booked by Karen Swallow Prior
treated me to a delectable blend of memoir and literary explication. The engaging
narrative held my attention as she discussed life experiences and related literature.
The author shares candidly about her life and doesn’t shy away from topics like
drugs, sex, and spiritual doubt. I loved her blunt, common sense approach to
addressing issues in a healthy way that leads to empowerment rather than choosing
blind naivete. In short, her life journey and its connection to books fascinated
me.
Each chapter of Booked focuses on a literary work,
though others may be mentioned. I read some, but not all of the chosen literary
works back as an English major in college. While all the works were explained
clearly, I absorbed her points more intensely on the ones I was already
familiar with. Some of my favorite chapters included: Books Promiscuously Read (John Milton’s
Areopagitica), Beholding is Becoming (Jane Eyre), and The Only Thing Between Me
and Tragedy (Tess of the D’Urbervilles). That chapter on Tess had me crying –
yes, crying – because of its message/theme.
Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me by Karen Swallow Prior made me want to go back
and read some of the classics that I’ve tucked away on my bookshelf for many
years. This is a book I’ll keep an read again in the future.
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