The School of Life

Weekends in my household mean movies. Today, my husband and I finally got around to seeing the acclaimed An Education. Under ordinary circumstances this kind of film would have been a no brainer, but being the stepparent of a 16-year old, the thought of a movie about a teenage girl being seduced by an older man, well the creep factor was a little too high. But, 'tis Oscar Season, and with the buzz already begun about both Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard, we bit the bullet and headed out to see it, minus the child. (Though, frankly, this is a movie she should see.)

Setting aside the looks of horror we shared as events unfolded, the movie was, indeed, quite good. Peter Sarsgaard plays sympathetic creepy quite well, and Carey Mulligan's balance between innocence and sophistication is a marvel. I was most impressed with the script by Nick Hornby, which he adapted from a chapter in a Brit journalist's memoir. A master geographer of male cluelessness and vulnerability, he brilliantly captures the longing, hubris, and naivety of a bright, ambitious adolescent girl with the insight of well, a woman. Impressive.

And speaking of memoirs, one of the best I have read this year is Lit, Mary Karr's third volume of her life published by Harper. Funny and painful and enlightening, it is her reckoning of how she got drunk, got sober, had a son, built a career, lost a husband, found God, and made peace with the craziness in her life. A deft mix of lyricism, wit, and the profound, Lit deserves the kudos it has gotten from reviewers, including its selection as one of the 10 NYTBR Editors' Choice books. Though for this discerning reader, the highest gratification was its being chosen by Michiko Kakutani as one of her 10 Best Books of the Year.

The book's title is spot-on: Lit=drunk; Lit=secular illumination aka literature/poetry; Lit=spiritual illumination aka finding God. I am envious of Karr's skill as a writer, and wondered at the sweat, frustration, and sheer gumption it took not only to put the story together, but to tell it with such incredible skill. She is a writer to admire. The book reminded me of Traveling Mercies, Anne Lamott's recollections of her journey to faith. While both women are deeply spiritual, neither are preachy nor righteous. (And both have very different writing styles; I admire them both!) As a Catholic, I can appreciate what has drawn Karr to Catholicism (and what draws Lamott to evangelical Christianity). Both focus on the best aspects of religion, and how it can transform life for the better, offering deeper meaning and connection. They are essential complements to Karen Armstrong's The Case for God, which I haven't read—yet—but is on the never-ending list.

Another terrific memoir I had the pleasure to read recently was Craig M. Mullaney's The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education. More to come on this, Obama, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the sorrowful cycle of war.