Post #33 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
I’ve read many powerful, painful and down-right, gut-wrenching memoirs in recent years. But never have I read a woman’s personal story—particularly one that began with an event she didn’t even witness—that affected me more than Judy Mandel’s Replacement Child.
Through skillful writing and an incredible head for story structure, Judy brings to life the tragic events surrounding the crash of American Airlines commuter Flight 6780 at 3.45 p.m. on January 22, 1952, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She actually weaves the lives of her family and the pilot on that terrible day into her own memoir—building tension for the tragedy at the same time she explores and comes to grips with her role as replacement child for her older sister Donna killed in the crash. It’s powerful storytelling that will keep you reading…long after you should have turned off the light and gone to sleep. [click to continue…]
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