Saturday, November 24, 2007

The Red Parts: A Memoir by Maggie Nelson

In 1969, Maggie Nelson's aunt was murdered. Her death was linked to the infamous "Michigan Murders" and her killer was never found...until recently. As Maggie, a poet, was just releasing a book of poetry about her aunt and the murder, new DNA evidence was found link a retired nurse to the killing. Maggie and her mother attend the trial each day in order to bear witness.

In the end, however, there was little sense of release and closure since questions are left unanswered and ambiguity remains. In fact, Maggie's family remains unconvinced that justice has been served. In reality this book is less about the crime than how it has shaped an entire family's world.

3 comments:

kcmeesha said...

How long does it take you to read an average size book? I am pretty fast reader but you seem to post a new book every other day.

A Librarian said...

When I am reading for fun...between 30 - 50 a month.

When I am reading for my award committee, depending on how long the books are, if they are fiction or non-fiction and if I am really interested or if it is a topic I am not interested in at all, probably about 20 - 40 a month.

kcmeesha said...

Pretty amazing