Life Among the Savages
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Life Among the Savages
Shirley Jackson
Biography & Memoir
James Mustich
Jul 27, 2018
In this slightly fictionalized account of her own family’s life, Shirley Jackson (author of the horrifying story “The Lottery,” which you may remember from a school anthology) plumbs the depths of domestic bliss, recounting her life with husband and four children under ten, in one of the funniest, most enjoyable books you’ll ever read—and a precursor to the work of Jean Kerr, Erma Bombeck, and other chroniclers of the relentless comedy of motherhood’s emergencies. Jackson’s portraits of her children are rich with humor and understanding, and the whole family comedy is unbearably believable.
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Kate De Gennaro
Nov 23, 2018
As I was reading this book I felt a bit "meh". It was good, but was it worth this list? After I finished I agreed it was, definitely. The book is understated. It is funny, but subtle - the kind of funny that makes you guffaw under your breath instead of cackle out loud. But that is its genius. Jackson tells her story of motherhood in such an authentic simple fashion that it she brings out the drama, humor, and exasperation of the daily moments that almost escape our notice. But even more, as the book was written in the mid 29th century, the historical context of sexism is apparent. But Jackson also treats this is a nonchalant way, not preaching about what was or should of been, but just as cursory glimpses into that world. The book is brilliant.
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Kate De Gennaro
Nov 23, 2018
*20th century
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