When You Want A Peek Into Someone's Life

When you want a peek into someone’s life. Sometimes you just want to read about someone else’s life. Sometimes you want to forget about everything going on in your life. I definitely gravitate to books where someone takes the time to let me in. I want to learn people’s unique stories. No matter what the story, I find books like this to be very inspirational.

These books are very different from each other. You might prefer one over the other but you will absolutely learn something new. One thing they have in common is that they both read like fiction. I’m always surprised when people say they don’t like creative nonfiction because that’s dismissing a whole genre for no good reason. Within nonfiction you will find a myriad of different styles and these books read very differently from each other. Ami McKay breaks up her story with scientific facts whereas Diane Schoemperlen is a lot more personal and political in her writing.

WHEN YOU WANT A PEEK INTO SOMEONE’S LIFE

Daughter Of Family G by Ami McKay. Although several members of my family have died of cancer I cannot imagine having the hereditary gene that McKay’s family possess. She does a wonderful job of combining actual science (without dumbing it down for the readers), the history of her family, and her own story. Can you imagine being tested for a cancer that has killed generations of your family and finding out that you have the gene?

Maybe even more than reading about McKay’s story, I really enjoyed reading about the science of this gene (later named Lynch Syndrome) and how it was discovered. The fact that one of her ancestors, her great-great aunt, kept tabs on the family, discovered the pattern and then brought that information to the doctors, is amazing to me. I have some issues with the medical “industry” in North America, and seeing someone take their health into their own hands motivates me to keep doing the same.

To be perfectly honest, it took me a while to read this book, it sat on my night stand for months before I picked it up. I really wasn’t sure that I wanted to read yet another ‘cancer’ story. The good news is that this story is so much more than that. Sure there are some sad moments (I won’t spoil them for you) but in general it’s a very honest book about life.

This Is Not My Life by Diane Schoemperlen. I will admit that my jaw was dropped for much of this read. I cannot imagine being involved with an inmate who is actively in prison, let alone someone who is serving a life sentence for second degree murder. I’ve met Diane, I’ve taken one of her workshops and that makes this story even more incredulous. She’s a quiet, steady and extremely fascinating woman and when you find out that she was involved with this man for six years it’s honestly hard to believe. Stereotypes take a big step aside.

By the end of the book, Schoemperlen’s story seems normal. She doesn’t hold back with her thoughts and her process for dealing with this unusual relationship. You will feel like you are living her experiences right along with her. You know that saying, ‘it’s complicated’? Well this book certainly embodies that statement.

In addition to telling her story, Schoemperlen weaves in the political climate in Canada and how it affects prisoners and the penal system in general. This isn’t something I spend a lot of time thinking about but it’s big part of society. How we treat our prisoners says something about us and it should be a topic that we reflect on.

While fiction is always a great option and I’m all for anyone who reads, try picking up a memoir or some other form of creative nonfiction. When you get a peek into someone’s life, it puts your life and your experiences into perspective. We often get so involved with our own problems that we forget about the rest of the world. This is a good chance to open yourself up to the rest of humanity. It’s only by breaking down barriers and understanding others that we can truly find our place in the world.