The Forever Box

by Kristin Clark Taylor

The things we love are the things that last... Which people touched your life most deeply? In what way do those memories define you today? Which positive pieces of your past have you carried with you into adulthood? In The Forever Box , Kristin Clark Taylor embarks on a journey into the happiest days of her own youth. Through her refreshing voice as a seven-year-old girl in Detroit, she leads us through four summer days during which she visits four of her closest friends, elderly women who share their wisdom and wit-and each share treasured trinkets from their own past, beginning the process of memory-making that Taylor holds so dear. What she shares in her new book are not just the stories behind the trinkets, but the all-embracing concept of forever-a tangible, touchable permanence that can be joyfully and deliberately created by each and every one of us. Enchanting and magical in its universal appeal, The Forever Box teaches all of us how to weave our past with our present, making our own "tomorrows" something to cherish and remember forever.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2011

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a memoir where the author picks out several objects from her Forever Box, which holds keepsakes from her family and from her life. Each tells a tale of an episode in her life as a young girl in Detroit and also speaks to her family history and shows a snapshot of life at that time. I wasn’t sure about this book at first, but the stories developed the relationships and the feeling of family and extended family. Items included a hat made by her mother which relates the racist treatment her mother received at a store and how she overcame it, a purse from Egypt from a trip her grandmother took, a fancy beaded purse from a family friend who taught her how to walk in high heels, and ballet slippers in various sizes from her daughter. Each brings a series of memories that she has passed down, sharing her family stories with the next generation.

[Dianna Shimizu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book very disappointing--not what I was expecting, at all. And the overuse of the word "precious" drove me to distraction. Why didn't her editor give her a thesaurus?

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

because my granddaughter gave me this book it is v ery special. and she bought it from that huge bookstore in portland oregon,,,,,,POWELL'S.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

somehow my review is under comment

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can feel the love between mother and daughter through out this book. Beautiful stories of the women who enlightened and shaped the author. Beautiful story telling.