At the age of twelve, Cathy & her family are uprooted from their Niagara Falls home and move to the suburbs of Buffalo, NY. Her father states its because his pharmacy is struggling, but in reality the reader will wonder if it’s due to Cathy’s antics.
The entire family struggles to fit in: Cathy’s mother no longer has the social life she once had and instead spends most of her time at home. Cathy, desperate to fit in, becomes a cheerleader, rushes out to fill her wardrobe with the popular brands, joining a sorority once she reaches high school.
Cathy’s relationship with her father drastically changes with this move. They were always close but, after moving to Buffalo, their relationship becomes strained. She writes about this strained relationship with her father:
The more bound you are to a parent, the harder it is to cut the strings-and I had spent my entire childhood with my father. Like Siamese twins, the longer you are joined, the harder it is to separate and have both of you come out unscathed.”
Typical for her age, Cathy begins to question things around her, specifically racism. Growing up, she was close to Roy, a black delivery driver. In her new home, she’s astonished to see racism openly around her, specifically in the use of black lawn jockeys throughout the town. This passion for equality continues throughout her teen years and throughout her young adult life.
After the Falls: Coming of Age in the Sixties is set in the turbulent 1960s. Gildiner focuses on the “hot topics” of that era, including civil rights, war, drugs. While technically a memoir, After the Falls reads more like a fiction book, one of the many things that engaged me and drew me to this book. Gildiner doesn’t sugar coat anything, everything is detailed in a brutally honest manner.
While I didn’t grow up in the 60’s myself, Gildiner allowed me to see a side you don’t read about in history books or learn about in school. It’s a darker, more honest look at a tumultuous time in our nation’s history.
Normally not a fan of memoirs, I was instantly taken in by Gildiner’s powerful and honest narrative. As I stated above, it reads more like fiction than a memoir. Some of the situations Cathy finds herself in are so unbelievable that you think they must be fiction, but I assure you they are not.
While this is the second memoir Gildiner has written, the first being Too Close to the Falls, published eight years ago, you don’t need to read them in any order to appreciate the message. Too Close to the Falls focuses on Gildiner’s childhood while After the Falls deals with her pre-teen through adult years. That’s not to say you shouldn’t read both; I’m personally rushing out to buy the first book myself. You get so invested in Gildiner’s life that you must know more about her.
In case my gushing hasn’t elude to this yet; I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it. I compare it to Jeannette Walls HALF BROKE HORSES and THE GLASS CASTLE. Fans of memoirs would most definitely enjoy it, but using me as evidence, individuals not typically fans of memoirs will enjoy it as well.
Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a guest post by Catherine & an opportunity to win a copy of the book!
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