Non-Fiction Book Reviews

Book Review: The Face in the Mirror

By Sandy Amazeen Nov 23, 2009, 1:25 GMT

faceinthemirror.usWhen you were young and idealistic, who was the person you saw in the mirror? What were your expectations and those of your family and community? And now that you\'re older and have attained prominence, how do you feel about the person you have become and the direction your life has actually taken?Malachy McCourt, Joyce Maynard, Alan Dershowitz, and Eileen Goudge are among twenty celebrated authors in this unique collection, ...more

This anthology of essays from a broad range of writers revolves around the question, “When I look in the mirror, who do you see?” Writers like most everyone else left adolescence full of hopes, dreams and ideology but what happened to that young person along the road through adulthood. Contributors include Eileen Goudge, author of Woman in Red; teacher and author of The Bone Weaver, Victoria Zackheim and Barbara Abercrombie who once dreamt of being an actress used writing as means to help her cope with the loss of a baby. Most simply did whatever they needed to do to make ends meet or because they were out of first options.

Thoughtful, often deeply personal and occasionally surprising these self-examinations reveal among other things, that none of these authors actually set out to be writer. Anthologies don’t come more profound or moving and who amongst us hasn’t thought about the difference between who we are now and who we thought we’d be.