The Vincent Zandri Vox: Mommy Blogs More Powerful than The New York Times
Coming of age in the 1950s, Roiphe, the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants, grew up on Park Avenue and had an adolescence defined by privilege, petticoats, and social rules. At Smith College her classmates wore fraternity pins on their cashmere sweaters and knit argyle socks for their boyfriends during lectures. Young women were expected to give up personal freedom for devotion to home and children. Instead, Roiphe chose Beckett, Proust, Sartre, and Mann as her heroes and sought out the chaos of New York’s White Horse Tavern and West End Bar.
She was unmoored and uncertain, “waiting for a wisp of truth, a feather’s brush of beauty, a moment of insight.” Salvation came in the form of a brilliant playwright whom she married and worked to support, even after he left her alone on their honeymoon and later pawned her family silver, china, and pearls. Her near-religious belief in the power of art induced her to overlook his infidelity and alcoholism, and to dutifully type his manuscripts in place of writing her own.
During an era that idolized its male writers, she became, sometimes with her young child in tow, one of the girls draped across the sofa at parties with George Plimpton, Terry Southern, Doc Humes, Norman Mailer, Peter Matthiessen, and William Styron. In the Hamptons she socialized with Larry Rivers, Jack Gelber and other painters and sculptors. “Moderation for most of us is a most unnatural condition . . . . I preferred to burn out like a brilliant firecracker.” But while she was playing the muse reality beckoned, forcing her to confront the notion that any sacrifice was worth making for art.
Art and Madness recounts the fascinating evolution of a time when art and alcohol and rebellion caused collateral damage and sometimes produced extraordinary work. In clear-sighted, perceptive, and unabashed prose, Roiphe shares with astonishing honesty the tumultuous adventure of self-discovery that finally led to her redemption.
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU PUBLICLY FOLLOW THIS
BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT TO LET ME KNOW THAT YOU THAT
YOU RETWEETED THIS GIVEAWAY (LEAVE LINK).
*REMEMBER TO INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ALL ENTRIES.
Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
agent and/or author. This blog hosts the giveaway on behalf of the
above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in
exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are
ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed
When visiting, please feel free to leave any suggestions,
ideas and/or comments. Would love to hear from you!!
My answer:
Unfortunately, not one family member reads. However, my Mom takes full responsibility for me always having a book in hand. As she tells it, she would give me a book when trying to “potty train” me or when I was in my “playpen” in front of the TV (this was in the 50s when these upbringing rituals were not taboo. As for my sons, I don’t know where I went wrong. I would read to them EVERY night and many times during the day. We would take walks to the library, had them signed-up for “library school” classes before they went to Kindergarten and anytime we were at a mall, we HAD to stop in the book store and we all got to pick out a book. When they were younger, they had a few sets of series (can’t remember the title) that they HAD to read, which they did, until they entered HS and reading for enjoyment stopped. That is why when I found this community of book blogging I was so excited that I found people that loved books as much as me and that I finally could discuss books that I had read and see what other’s thought on the same book.
First I would like to thank Amy for hosting this month and doing such a wonderful job. Thank you Amy!!
Saturday 04/23
When visiting, please feel free to leave any suggestions,
ideas and/or comments. Would love to hear from you!!
Coming of age in the 1950s, Roiphe, the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants, grew up on Park Avenue and had an adolescence defined by privilege, petticoats, and social rules. At Smith College her classmates wore fraternity pins on their cashmere sweaters and knit argyle socks for their boyfriends during lectures. Young women were expected to give up personal freedom for devotion to home and children. Instead, Roiphe chose Beckett, Proust, Sartre, and Mann as her heroes and sought out the chaos of New York’s White Horse Tavern and West End Bar.
She was unmoored and uncertain, “waiting for a wisp of truth, a feather’s brush of beauty, a moment of insight.” Salvation came in the form of a brilliant playwright whom she married and worked to support, even after he left her alone on their honeymoon and later pawned her family silver, china, and pearls. Her near-religious belief in the power of art induced her to overlook his infidelity and alcoholism, and to dutifully type his manuscripts in place of writing her own.
During an era that idolized its male writers, she became, sometimes with her young child in tow, one of the girls draped across the sofa at parties with George Plimpton, Terry Southern, Doc Humes, Norman Mailer, Peter Matthiessen, and William Styron. In the Hamptons she socialized with Larry Rivers, Jack Gelber and other painters and sculptors. “Moderation for most of us is a most unnatural condition . . . . I preferred to burn out like a brilliant firecracker.” But while she was playing the muse reality beckoned, forcing her to confront the notion that any sacrifice was worth making for art.
Art and Madness recounts the fascinating evolution of a time when art and alcohol and rebellion caused collateral damage and sometimes produced extraordinary work. In clear-sighted, perceptive, and unabashed prose, Roiphe shares with astonishing honesty the tumultuous adventure of self-discovery that finally led to her redemption.
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU PUBLICLY FOLLOW THIS
BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT TO LET ME KNOW THAT YOU THAT
YOU RETWEETED THIS GIVEAWAY (LEAVE LINK).
*REMEMBER TO INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ALL ENTRIES.
Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
agent and/or author. This blog hosts the giveaway on behalf of the
above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in
exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are
ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed
When visiting, please feel free to leave any suggestions,
ideas and/or comments. Would love to hear from you!!
My answer:
Unfortunately, not one family member reads. However, my Mom takes full responsibility for me always having a book in hand. As she tells it, she would give me a book when trying to “potty train” me or when I was in my “playpen” in front of the TV (this was in the 50s when these upbringing rituals were not taboo. As for my sons, I don’t know where I went wrong. I would read to them EVERY night and many times during the day. We would take walks to the library, had them signed-up for “library school” classes before they went to Kindergarten and anytime we were at a mall, we HAD to stop in the book store and we all got to pick out a book. When they were younger, they had a few sets of series (can’t remember the title) that they HAD to read, which they did, until they entered HS and reading for enjoyment stopped. That is why when I found this community of book blogging I was so excited that I found people that loved books as much as me and that I finally could discuss books that I had read and see what other’s thought on the same book.
First I would like to thank Amy for hosting this month and doing such a wonderful job. Thank you Amy!!
Saturday 04/23
When visiting, please feel free to leave any suggestions,
ideas and/or comments. Would love to hear from you!!
Due to holidays, this weekly event will return on May 15th with getting to know another one of our blogging peers. And since we will have missed 3 weeks of our “coffee and gab session”, make sure you put plenty of time aside because I am sure we will have a lot of catching up to do!!! Plus, Jeff, Lori’s (Dollycas’s Thoughts) hubby asked for some time off…..Men!!! lol.
When visiting, please feel free to leave any suggestions,
ideas and/or comments. Would love to hear from you!!
Due to holidays, this weekly event will return on May 15th with getting to know another one of our blogging peers. And since we will have missed 3 weeks of our “coffee and gab session”, make sure you put plenty of time aside because I am sure we will have a lot of catching up to do!!! Plus, Jeff, Lori’s (Dollycas’s Thoughts) hubby asked for some time off…..Men!!! lol.
When visiting, please feel free to leave any suggestions,
ideas and/or comments. Would love to hear from you!!
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
4 10 7
Timestamp: 2011-04-23 22:12:34 UTC
When visiting, please feel free to leave any suggestions,
ideas and/or comments. Would love to hear from you!!










































































































