Amanda Bennett’s memoir, The Cost of Hope: The Story of A Marriage, A Family and a Quest for Life, is one of the most intelligent memoirs I’ve read in years. Bennett takes her own personal experience fighting to save her husband’s life in his struggle against a rare form of kidney cancer and as an investigative reporter she uses his story to illustrate what all of us face: the cost of hope. First Bennet hooks the reader with their romantic adventures. In 1983 she worked as the lone Wall Street Journal reporter in Peking and at a party thrown by John Broder of the Chicago Tribune she met a man who claimed to be a Fulbright scholar studying relations between China and Soviet Union, Mr. Terence B. Foley. She soon discovered he is really the Country Director for the American Soybean Association when they meet again a big American bank opening reception. “You’re cute. You’re a journalist. I wanted to talk to you. Journalists are always working. How long would you have talked to me if I told you I was in soybeans? You wanted to talk about China and Russia, so I made up a person who could talk about China and Russia. I knew you’d find out sooner or later” Bennett quotes her husband as she recounts the start of their romance. Bennett pursued her career in journalism (earned a Pulitzer Prize and co-chaired the Pulitzer Prize Board) and they raised two children while she served as editor…
In June I had the good fortune to celebrate my father’s 80th birthday with a visit to Minnesota and a reunion of cousins. That my Midwestern family likes to read good books became self-evident during my visit home. Dad’s office is an entire room lined with bookshelves. His well worn copies of Will & Ariel Durant’s The History of Civilization, William Shirer’s The Third Reich,… [Read More]
Filed Under: Amanda Bennett, Damon Weber, Doron Weber, healthcare system, heart transplant, Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir, modern medicine, The Cost of Hope
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Labor Day weekend is an omen of the new school year. It’s an exciting time of year for those who love books. Last fall Lindsay Debach shared this adventure on the campus of Cornell University when she toured the unique collection of manuscripts and rare books. This fall Lindsay begins her graduate students in English Literature in the UK. We wish her well in her… [Read More]
“Have you ever been in love? Have you ever dreamed of revenge? Have you ever felt like no one knows who or where you are, and so your body may never be discovered? Have you ever wanted for a night to never end? Have you ever wanted to run away? Have you ever gone outside and seen the sky?” In an interview with girlslikegiants.wordpress.com, Leigh… [Read More]
Amanda Bennett’s memoir, The Cost of Hope: The Story of A Marriage, A Family and a Quest for Life, is one of the most intelligent memoirs I’ve read in years. Bennett takes her own personal experience fighting to save her husband’s life in his struggle against a rare form of kidney cancer and as an investigative reporter she uses his story to illustrate what all… [Read More]
Flagrant misuse of grammar rules hurts a writer’s chances for publication. Agents and editors take one quick glance and form a strong first professional impression. Don’t send up red flags and get rejected by your amateur abuse of punctuation or capitalization rules. Your email query may never be opened if you put the subject line of your message in all caps. WHEN YOU ARE USING… [Read More]