On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King (2000)

King has written a short biographical tale of his life as a writer. The story begins with his first memories of growing up in a single parent household with his mother and brother David. He regales the reader with powerful stories of his childhood illness to hysterically funny accounts of his neglectful, if not psychotic, babysitter.

As a only masterful storyteller can, King pulls at the reader’s heartstrings with his gripping story of a sick child suffering the painfully long needles poked in his ears. His retelling of this story has the reader sitting at the edge of their seat quickly turning the pages so we will know if the small child will be able to hear after the procedure.

King takes us back to the struggle his family endured because of their abandonment by his father. We fall in love with the little boy who had to undergo so much hardship with only his brother and his imagination for friends. Once we are hooked he continues his story with a man’s long struggle to make it into the world of writers.

We are then introduced into the world of writing, editing, submitting, and rejecting. King goes on to describe his life and various writing jobs. He tells us about his failures as well as successes. One example is a magazine submission he made to the late Alfred Hitchcock when he was still a child. Through the young King’s eyes we can envision Hitchcock’s matter-of-fact notes on King’s manuscript.

King’s moving account of a writer’s life offers warmth and encouragement. This reviewer would urge those who wish to become a writer of any kind to read this book. Highly recommended for all audiences.

Christmas Jars

Christmas Jars, by Jason F. Wright (2005)

Wright has written a tender, slim novel about the triumph of the spirit. The story begins with the discovery of an infant girl, who has been abandoned in a restaurant. The woman who finds the child winds up adopting her and in the face of unforeseeable events the new mother sees a fresh beginning for herself and for the infant child. The young girl receives the name Hope.

Hope Jensen proves to be a remarkably smart young woman with a strong work ethic. She desires nothing more than to make her way to the top of the newspaper business. Upon graduation she takes a job at the local paper and while she is not well to do, she is on her way.

Hope's life takes a turn when one Christmas Eve her apartment is burgled. In the hours after the theft she finds a jar filled with money outside her doorstep. She becomes consumed with her desire to know who is behind the random act of generosity. What she finds in the course of chasing the big story will change her forever.

There are a few minor problems with the book but the story unfolds well and does what it sets out to do: to illustrate that giving is better than receiving since one's gifts are ultimately returned to them in greater measure. Secular readers will appreciate the fact the book makes its point without getting too preachy. This is a modern holiday tale that should appeal to a wide array of readers.