*Of particular interest to Westporters is Summers with Lincoln: Looking for the Man in the Monuments by James A. Percoco. A history teacher and a Lincoln buff, Percoco visited many monuments (there are over 200) and choose seven of them for his book He chronicles the history of each, focusing on the artistic, social, political and cultural origins of each. What does this have to do with Westport?
In 1930, Lincoln the Mystic was unveiled in Jersey City, Jersey. It was created by noted sculptor James Earle Fraser of Westport CT. The chapter on this sculpture begins with the annual placing of the wreath at the beloved statue on February 12, 2006. While exploring the origins of the monument, Percoco describes the Frasers’ Westport life:
“Laura would drive her husband each and every morning from the Coleytown section north of Westport’s center, chugging along the ‘dusty road to the rude, little railroad depot …The couple and their automobile caused quite a stir in the community of 3500 residents in 1914.” (Learn more about the Frasers in the Library history file.)
In this season of multiple books to celebrate Lincoln’s 200th birthday, Summers with Lincoln adds a unique perspective to our fascination with the 16th president.
*Another unique approach is employed by Doris Lessing in Alfred and Emily. The book starts as novella, as the author “re-imagines” the lives of her parents prior to her own birth; then, the memoir continues with vivid descriptions of her childhood in Africa, including her rocky relationship with her mother. Lessing, known for the detailed settings and nuanced characters of her many novels, does not disappoint in her autobiography.
*Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners by Laura Claridge reveals how a Baltimore society girl became the arbiter of manners for generations of middle class Americans. A scandalous divorce launched her career in her middle age as a novelist and as an authority on social behavior with the publication of Etiquette in 1922. The book has never gone out of print and the Emily Post standards still have influence.
*In Searching for Schindler, Thomas Keneally writes about creating a novel out of decades-old remembrances and the toll this took on him and his family. He describes his international research and his intention to emulate Truman Capote by writing “faction” or non-fiction fiction. His collaboration with Spielberg and anecdotes about the actors who starred in the movie version of his book are included. This is really a biography of a book…and a movie, as well as a memoir by the author.
*Golden Boy, actor, drug addict, failed husband, painter, Tony Curtis tells it all in his autobiography American Prince: a Memoir. Forthright and fascinating, he reveals all the ups and downs of celebrity life among the famous.
