Skin by E.M. Reapy Elizabeth Reapy’s Natalie is one of those characters who stays with you long after you’ve finished the book she occupies. If “occupies” is even the right word, given Natalie’s preoccupation with not taking up too much space in the world. Fixated on her body and her tendency to binge at times of stress, she takes the reader on a journey – both literal … [Read more...] about Book Reviews
Mary Beth Keane
What Are You Like? Writer Mary Beth Keane
On swanky hotels, Gráinne O’Malley’s tailor-made pirate outfits, and her own unusual hidden talent. Mary Beth Keane’s novel, Ask Again, Yes, is a lyrical, moving tale spanning 40 years about family, love, alcoholism, and mental illness. Told with tenderness and empathy for the human condition, it is juxtaposed with just the right amount of humor to carry the story along. … [Read more...] about What Are You Like? Writer Mary Beth Keane
Fathers of Influence
In honor of Father's Day, a collection of remembrances from Irish and Irish-American daughters on their fathers, many of which came from Irish America interviews. Eileen Murray, co-chair of Bridgewater Associates “My dad was in WWII, and Korea. He wanted to go to Vietnam, but did not. He felt that when the country needed you, you better stand up and go serve it, and … [Read more...] about Fathers of Influence
Parkinson’s Disease: My Father’s Strength
His physical strength was his currency, now it’s his patience and forbearance. On the afternoon before my college graduation in 1999, there was a ceremony for graduates who were getting department prizes. My father was a New York City tunnel worker (a “sandhog”) and at that time he was working on Roosevelt Island, a 20-minute drive from Barnard’s campus. He always showered … [Read more...] about Parkinson’s Disease: My Father’s Strength