Carolyn See
Dreaming
Hard Luck And Good Times In America
$24.95, £16.95 paperback
9780520204829
Available Now
In this bittersweet and beautifully written memoir, Carolyn See embarks on nothing less than a reevaluation of the American Dream. Although it features a clan in which dysfunction was something of a family tradition, Dreaming is no victim's story. With a wry humor and not a trace of self-pity, See writes of fights and breakups and hard times, but also of celebration and optimism in the face of adversity. The story of See's family speaks for the countless people who reached for the shining American vision, found it eluded their grasp, and then tried to make what they had glitter as best they could.
"This is, indisputedly, a memoir that revels in a woman's point of view. Ultimately, though, it reaches out to all Ms. See's readers with its perception and wit. By the close of the book, we have come to empathize not only with our heroine but with her extended family, male and female alike. All caught, as we are too, in the beautiful and painful vise we call life, they have managed to persevere as best they can—and we admire them for it."—Linda Gray Sexton, New York Times Book Review
"See makes one dream of a book from what must have seemed one sorry life, until a writer came along to set the record straight."—Geoffrey Wolff, Washington Post Book World
"See's strength as a writer, along with her verbal agility and highly personal voice, is her superbly communicated belief that despite everything that's gone wrong with our society, 'in some places, some times, this is a beautiful world.'"—Rebecca Radner, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
"See makes one dream of a book from what must have seemed one sorry life, until a writer came along to set the record straight."—Geoffrey Wolff, Washington Post Book World
"See's strength as a writer, along with her verbal agility and highly personal voice, is her superbly communicated belief that despite everything that's gone wrong with our society, 'in some places, some times, this is a beautiful world.'"—Rebecca Radner, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
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