Papa's book

[sophia_sol]

I have one remaining living grandparent, my Papa, and recently he put together something of a self-pubbed memoir. It's a series of short writings on various themes that cover things from throughout his life. Papa has an open, engaging, and conversational tone with some fascinating stories! Not a great ability with narrative shaping though. And it's glaring how very little he talks about his children (my mom and aunts). I am not sure why that is but it's definitely weird.

He's also obviously skipping over talking about anything at all even slightly negative or sad. Which tbh is very him, he doesn't like thinking about anything that isn't optimistic and happy and forward-looking so I'm not surprised, I'm just surprised he actually wrote this book at all. All in all despite the flaws I'm glad to have the book as a record of some of the important things in his life. But also: I learned from this book that he has a chest full of letters between him and Nana from back when they were young and recently dating and had to be apart, and I want to read those letters so much??? I wonder what's going to happen to them in the end. I will understand if for personal privacy reasons he decides they need to be discarded unread after his death but I hope that's not what he decides.

Comments

[ivyfic]

My parents started dating at 15 and married at 18, while attending colleges in different states. They wrote each other a loooooot of letters. That they have burned. On reflection I don’t think I’d like to read my teenage dad’s horny musings.

[sophia_sol]

haha, that's extremely fair!!

[skygiants]

This sounds weirdly similar to my experience reading my grandfather's self-pubbed memoirs! The tone of them is so jaunty -- like a Boy's Own Adventure -- which is wild given that the stuff he's talking about is, like, fleeing from Germany? Living in a refugee camp? Joining the army?

[sophia_sol]

Yeah, exactly! I wonder if it's a way of living emotionally with the stuff that happened

[tei]

Oh, this is great! I think one of my great-great-uncles wrote a book like this— titled, I don’t know why because I haven’t read it, “The Samaritan”— but I only remember it from being distributed at a family party when I was under ten years old. I should read it!

[sophia_sol]

Yeah, it's definitely interesting to read those kinds of old family stories when you have the opportunity to! I have a book by a great-great aunt as well, of stories from her childhood, and it's great.

[luzula]

My dad interviewed his mother about her life before she died, and I have listened to those interviews as an audiobook. I'm so glad he did that! And we played parts of them at the wake after her funeral, too, which was a great way to remember her together.

[sophia_sol]

That sounds wonderful! I'm so glad you have this, that your dad was able to take the time to talk and record your grandmother's thoughts

[lokifan]

Wow, fascinating!!

[sophia_sol]

yeah, I'm really glad Papa took the time to write and share it!