February 7, 2022
Columnist Quindlen (Nanaville) encourages amateur writers to pick up their pencils in this inspirational if at times old-fashioned love letter to writing. Quindlen homes in on seven benefits of writing and provides anecdotes to illustrate each. For example, Quindlen finds in the diary of Anne Frank the merits of writing for self-discovery and posterity, even if one never intends to publish the work. Quindlen highlights the stories of others who have found unexpected benefits in writing, including doctors who write about their experiences working with patients in “parallel” medical charts, a practice that reportedly boosts doctors’ ability to connect with those they are treating. Another anecdote tells of a California teacher who in the 1990s asked her “unteachable” students to keep journals, and the resulting stories of trauma, pain, and perseverance became the basis for the bestselling book The Freedom Writers Diary. Quindlen assures readers that the right way to write “is how you do it” and warns them not to worry about getting things right, just “get it written.” The author’s journalistic eye for story and detail breathes life into her literary philosophies, but her elegies for the pre-digital age of pen and paper come across as out of touch. Still, Quindlen makes a convincing case for writing when no one’s watching.
Starred review from March 1, 2022
Novelist Quindlen (Nanaville; Alternate Side) maintains that everyone should write, no matter how informally, because "writing is power" and it connects us with ourselves and those we care about. Citing writers like Anne Frank as examples, Quindlen illustrates that recording ordinary events of everyday life can help one cope with and make sense of challenging situations. She laments the demise of letter writing in favor of email and texts, since handwritten letters provide a sense of permanence and preserve the past in a way that electronic communications cannot. She mourns the loss of cursive script, no longer taught in many schools, since handwriting tells a story in itself. Quindlen notes that because many authors now compose on the computer, they will not leave behind manuscripts of their works that provide insights into the creative process, like those artifacts from the past preserved in museums. She suggests that those new to writing simply begin putting words on paper without focusing on spelling, grammar, or mechanics. Doing so, she says, can lead to reflection, which leads to understanding, which leads to happiness. VERDICT Highly recommended for those looking for a means of coming to terms with their lives and the world around them.--Denise J. Stankovics
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 1, 2022
Quindlen has been telling stories, sharing observations, and offering guidance for decades as an ethically minded novelist, columnist, and journalist. In her last nonfiction foray, Nanaville (2019), she celebrates grandparenthood, and her appreciation for family bonds shapes this pithy writing "why-to." Looking back on her own sustaining writing practice, Quindlen advocates for keeping journals and penning letters as a way of gaining perspective on oneself and preserving one's experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Quindlen writes about the solace Anne Frank found in writing about her imperiled life-in-hiding and the profound global impact of her diary. She recounts the remarkable benefits doctors and nurses glean when they chronicle their struggles. Everyone, Quindlen states, "can write their way into understanding, resolution, and even peace." Brimming with insights into writers' practices, reasons why writing by hand is best, tales from her life, and upbeat advice--"How it's done is how you do it," "Don't get it right, get it -written"--this is a generous work of permission and encouragement. "Writing can lead to reflection, reflection can lead to understanding, understanding can lead to happiness."
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