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Morningstar: Growing Up with Books
A memoir about the magic and inspiration of books from a beloved and best-selling author.
In her admired works of fiction, including the recent The Book that Matters Most, Ann Hood explores the transformative power of literature. Now, with warmth and honesty, Hood reveals the personal story behind these works of fiction.
Growing up in a mill town in Rhode Island, in a household that didn’t foster the love of literature, Hood nonetheless learned to channel her imagination and curiosity by devouring The Bell Jar, Marjorie Morningstar, The Harrad Experiment, and other works. These titles introduced her to topics that could not be discussed at home: desire, fear, sexuality, and madness. Later, Johnny Got His Gun and The Grapes of Wrath influenced her political thinking as the Vietnam War became news; Dr. Zhivago and Les Miserables stoked her ambition to travel the world. With characteristic insight and charm, Hood showcases the ways in which books gave her life and can transform—even save—our own.
In her admired works of fiction, including the recent The Book that Matters Most, Ann Hood explores the transformative power of literature. Now, with warmth and honesty, Hood reveals the personal story behind these works of fiction.
Growing up in a mill town in Rhode Island, in a household that didn’t foster the love of literature, Hood nonetheless learned to channel her imagination and curiosity by devouring The Bell Jar, Marjorie Morningstar, The Harrad Experiment, and other works. These titles introduced her to topics that could not be discussed at home: desire, fear, sexuality, and madness. Later, Johnny Got His Gun and The Grapes of Wrath influenced her political thinking as the Vietnam War became news; Dr. Zhivago and Les Miserables stoked her ambition to travel the world. With characteristic insight and charm, Hood showcases the ways in which books gave her life and can transform—even save—our own.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2017
80 people are currently reading
2593 people want to read
About the author
Ann Hood
73 books1,274 followersAnn Hood is the editor of Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting and the bestselling author of The Book That Matters Most, The Knitting Circle, The Red Thread, Comfort, and An Italian Wife, among other works. She is the recipient of two Pushcart Prizes, a Best American Spiritual Writing Award, a Best American Food Writing Award, a Best American Travel Writing Award, and the Paul Bowles Prize for Short Fiction. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 335 reviews
July 22, 2017
Ann Hood grew up in a household where books were neither owned nor read. Nonetheless, a shelf of books in her elementary school classroom became a refuge for her imagination. In this brief memoir, Hood shares her enduring love of reading and reveals which books transformed her life.
How can I describe what reading gave to me? An escape from my lonely school days, where girls seemed to speak a language I didn’t understand. A glimpse into the possibilities of words and stories. A curiosity about the world and about people – the young Amelia Earhart seeing her first plane, Helen Keller’s silent world, Nancy Drew solving mysteries, David Copperfield surviving the streets of Victorian London.
Hood attributes specific books for defining her views on dreams, curiosity, sex, and writing. She also identifies lessons learned on how to: buy books, fall in love with language, see the world, and find the courage to imagine a life that’s bigger than the moral and societal expectations placed on her as a child. Ultimately, she arrives at the understanding that reading books is an act driven by our need to better understand the world and know ourselves.
Unfortunately, Hood drops major plot spoilers for every single book she discusses. Without warning, she completely ruins the plot of the following books:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
Love Story by Erich Segal
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Stanyan Street & Other Sorrows by Rod McKuen
A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins
The Harrad Experiment by Robert H. Rimmer
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak; and
Rabbit, Run by John Updike
With her obvious love of books, Hood’s memoir is a sentimental read that will likely resonate with lifelong bookworms; however, readers are advised to proceed with caution as Hood has no respect for avoiding spoilers.
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Special thanks to W. W. Norton & Company for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
How can I describe what reading gave to me? An escape from my lonely school days, where girls seemed to speak a language I didn’t understand. A glimpse into the possibilities of words and stories. A curiosity about the world and about people – the young Amelia Earhart seeing her first plane, Helen Keller’s silent world, Nancy Drew solving mysteries, David Copperfield surviving the streets of Victorian London.
Hood attributes specific books for defining her views on dreams, curiosity, sex, and writing. She also identifies lessons learned on how to: buy books, fall in love with language, see the world, and find the courage to imagine a life that’s bigger than the moral and societal expectations placed on her as a child. Ultimately, she arrives at the understanding that reading books is an act driven by our need to better understand the world and know ourselves.
Unfortunately, Hood drops major plot spoilers for every single book she discusses. Without warning, she completely ruins the plot of the following books:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
Love Story by Erich Segal
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Stanyan Street & Other Sorrows by Rod McKuen
A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins
The Harrad Experiment by Robert H. Rimmer
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak; and
Rabbit, Run by John Updike
With her obvious love of books, Hood’s memoir is a sentimental read that will likely resonate with lifelong bookworms; however, readers are advised to proceed with caution as Hood has no respect for avoiding spoilers.
-
Special thanks to W. W. Norton & Company for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 16, 2017
Another book about books, the second I have read in a short space of time. Nothing too different, an authors experience with her love of books and the books that changed her life, seeming to fall into her hands at just the right time. What resonated with me though was that her reading experiences, the books themselves, and even the time period when she read them , as well as her reactions when she read them, almost perfectly matched my own.
One in particular was almost a perfect match and it is her reading of the novel, Johnny got his gun, a book that she read when she was fifteen and the book that first opened her eyes to social consciousness, and a book that haunts her to this day. Read this at exactly the same she, and it had the same effect on me, also one of two books that haunts me. Her reading was never directed, nor censored and nor was mine, something of which I am extremely grateful to my parents and teachers.
Of course other novels are mentioned, all of which I have read, only one that I didn't. Her Italian family, their love of food, their love of family. This book brought back so many memories, and although a relatively short read, I loved every moment.
ARC from publisher.
Publishes August 1st by W. W. Norton.
One in particular was almost a perfect match and it is her reading of the novel, Johnny got his gun, a book that she read when she was fifteen and the book that first opened her eyes to social consciousness, and a book that haunts her to this day. Read this at exactly the same she, and it had the same effect on me, also one of two books that haunts me. Her reading was never directed, nor censored and nor was mine, something of which I am extremely grateful to my parents and teachers.
Of course other novels are mentioned, all of which I have read, only one that I didn't. Her Italian family, their love of food, their love of family. This book brought back so many memories, and although a relatively short read, I loved every moment.
ARC from publisher.
Publishes August 1st by W. W. Norton.
August 11, 2017
This is an absolutely delightful memoir about the author's favorite and most influential books from her childhood. Ann Hood was a precocious and curious child who loved to escape into the world of books. Here she shares her stories about reading, lessons she's learned, and how books helped her better understand her friends and family.
This memoir is structured in short essays, and Hood writes about several books that were important to her, including Herman Wouk's Marjorie Morningstar, Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun, Erich Segal's Love Story, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, and Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago.
Hood has a pleasant narrative style, and I enjoyed this memoir so much I look forward to reading her other works. Highly recommended for readers who like books about books.
Favorite Quotes
"How can I describe what reading gave to me? An escape from my lonely school days, where girls seemed to speak a language I didn't understand. A glimpse into the possibilities of worlds and stories. A curiosity about the world and about people."
"I loved nothing more than the weight of a heavy book in my arms as I moved through the school hallways. In study hall, my homework finished, I fell into a fat novel that seemed to never end. That I didn't want to end."
"I understood that I would always buy books, that I was a reader and a writer and that to be surrounded by books would always bring me comfort."
"I believe that magically the book we are supposed to read somehow appears in our hands at just the right time."
This memoir is structured in short essays, and Hood writes about several books that were important to her, including Herman Wouk's Marjorie Morningstar, Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun, Erich Segal's Love Story, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, and Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago.
Hood has a pleasant narrative style, and I enjoyed this memoir so much I look forward to reading her other works. Highly recommended for readers who like books about books.
Favorite Quotes
"How can I describe what reading gave to me? An escape from my lonely school days, where girls seemed to speak a language I didn't understand. A glimpse into the possibilities of worlds and stories. A curiosity about the world and about people."
"I loved nothing more than the weight of a heavy book in my arms as I moved through the school hallways. In study hall, my homework finished, I fell into a fat novel that seemed to never end. That I didn't want to end."
"I understood that I would always buy books, that I was a reader and a writer and that to be surrounded by books would always bring me comfort."
"I believe that magically the book we are supposed to read somehow appears in our hands at just the right time."
April 17, 2023
I love books about books. Ann Hood shares the tremendous impact particular titles had as she grew up in a Rhode Island mill town filled with Italian immigrants. If we were to write our own book, each of us would highlight different titles. What we all share is the "right book at the right time" experiences and the connections the books make with other events and activities in our lives at the time. It's like a book/life recipe that turns out just right.
February 6, 2018
"How can I describe what reading gave to me? An escape from my lonely school days,
where girls seemed to speak in a language I didn't understand. A glimpse into the
possibilities of words and stories. A curiosity about the world and about people--
the young Amelia Earhart seeing her first airplane, Helen Keller's silent world,
Nancy Drew solving mysteries, David Copperfield surviving the streets of Victorian
England."
This book, Morningstar: Growing Up with Books is the third of Ann Hood's books which I have had the pleasure of reading. In her novel, The Obituary Writer, I was introduced to a woman who possessed the extraordinary talent of absorbing the details of a deceased person's life and writing an obituary which seemed to capture the very essence of that person. And in The Knitting Circle, Ms. Hood so eloquently wrote of loss and grief ... the endless grief a mother experiences after the loss of her young daughter; and how her grief was assuaged by a circle of women who came together each week to engage in the simple act of knitting.
Morningstar: Growing Up with Books is Ann Hood's ode to her lifelong love of books and reading. Growing up on Rhode Island, the daughter of Italian immigrants, Ann Hood was not surrounded by books in her family home but she WAS surrounded by a family she described as "LOUD storytellers". And when her older brother started attending school and brought home his reading primer, her entire world changed. Her love of books was sparked and she knew she wanted "to live inside a book."
Each of the chapters in this thin volume (186 pages) describes a book which was important to Ann Hood at various times in her life. Much to my delight, the first book she chose to write about was 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott... which happens to be one of my own favorites from childhood. Receiving the book from her cousin, Gloria-Jean in second grade, she related how this magical book transported her to a different time and place... specifically to the March family household in Massachusetts during the Civil War. I could instantly relate emotionally to her feelings about this wonderful book which I have re-read several times throughout my life. Just as Ms. Hood described, I also felt shock and grief when the most sensitive and gentle character in the story, Beth March, died of complications from scarlet fever.
Although I have not read all of Ann Hood's chosen books, I found myself eagerly reading each chapter, easily identifying with the feelings she described. When she discussed the book, 'Johnny Get Your Gun' by Dalton Trumbo... a story of Joe Bonham, who lost his arms, legs, face and ears in World War I, I instinctively KNEW the questions this story aroused in Ms. Hood's mind about the Vietnam War of her childhood. Her entire childhood played out against the background of the Vietnam War and the voice of Walter Cronkite on the television in her living room talking about "today in the war." It was this novel about a war fought many years before her birth which inspired her to question everything she had been taught to believe.... and all because of a small passage in a story....
"they knew what was important... they died with only one thought in their minds and that was I
want to live I want to live I want to live.."
This powerful passage allowed Ann Hood to consider the war that had been going on throughout much of her life and finally ask... "What were we fighting for in Vietnam anyway? Did America have the right to tell other countries how to live?" She admitted to still asking herself these questions today.. and so do I.
I suspect there is something for everyone in this gem of a book. She wrote about 'Marjorie Morningstar' by Herman Wouk; 'Love Story' by Erich Segal ; 'Rabbit Run' by John Updike and another of my favorites, 'Doctor Zhivago' written by Boris Pasternak... to name a few. This lovely little book was a chance to reflect on the books that have meant something in my own life. Ann Hood reminded me of why I have been a reader for as long as I can remember and that is something perhaps ALL readers share. I read to find myself... a better understanding of myself and how I fit into the world around me, which often seems so alien; and of course, I read to travel to all of the places I might never go otherwise.
As George R.R. Martin said in his novel, 'A Dance with Dragons'.... "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."
where girls seemed to speak in a language I didn't understand. A glimpse into the
possibilities of words and stories. A curiosity about the world and about people--
the young Amelia Earhart seeing her first airplane, Helen Keller's silent world,
Nancy Drew solving mysteries, David Copperfield surviving the streets of Victorian
England."
This book, Morningstar: Growing Up with Books is the third of Ann Hood's books which I have had the pleasure of reading. In her novel, The Obituary Writer, I was introduced to a woman who possessed the extraordinary talent of absorbing the details of a deceased person's life and writing an obituary which seemed to capture the very essence of that person. And in The Knitting Circle, Ms. Hood so eloquently wrote of loss and grief ... the endless grief a mother experiences after the loss of her young daughter; and how her grief was assuaged by a circle of women who came together each week to engage in the simple act of knitting.
Morningstar: Growing Up with Books is Ann Hood's ode to her lifelong love of books and reading. Growing up on Rhode Island, the daughter of Italian immigrants, Ann Hood was not surrounded by books in her family home but she WAS surrounded by a family she described as "LOUD storytellers". And when her older brother started attending school and brought home his reading primer, her entire world changed. Her love of books was sparked and she knew she wanted "to live inside a book."
Each of the chapters in this thin volume (186 pages) describes a book which was important to Ann Hood at various times in her life. Much to my delight, the first book she chose to write about was 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott... which happens to be one of my own favorites from childhood. Receiving the book from her cousin, Gloria-Jean in second grade, she related how this magical book transported her to a different time and place... specifically to the March family household in Massachusetts during the Civil War. I could instantly relate emotionally to her feelings about this wonderful book which I have re-read several times throughout my life. Just as Ms. Hood described, I also felt shock and grief when the most sensitive and gentle character in the story, Beth March, died of complications from scarlet fever.
Although I have not read all of Ann Hood's chosen books, I found myself eagerly reading each chapter, easily identifying with the feelings she described. When she discussed the book, 'Johnny Get Your Gun' by Dalton Trumbo... a story of Joe Bonham, who lost his arms, legs, face and ears in World War I, I instinctively KNEW the questions this story aroused in Ms. Hood's mind about the Vietnam War of her childhood. Her entire childhood played out against the background of the Vietnam War and the voice of Walter Cronkite on the television in her living room talking about "today in the war." It was this novel about a war fought many years before her birth which inspired her to question everything she had been taught to believe.... and all because of a small passage in a story....
"they knew what was important... they died with only one thought in their minds and that was I
want to live I want to live I want to live.."
This powerful passage allowed Ann Hood to consider the war that had been going on throughout much of her life and finally ask... "What were we fighting for in Vietnam anyway? Did America have the right to tell other countries how to live?" She admitted to still asking herself these questions today.. and so do I.
I suspect there is something for everyone in this gem of a book. She wrote about 'Marjorie Morningstar' by Herman Wouk; 'Love Story' by Erich Segal ; 'Rabbit Run' by John Updike and another of my favorites, 'Doctor Zhivago' written by Boris Pasternak... to name a few. This lovely little book was a chance to reflect on the books that have meant something in my own life. Ann Hood reminded me of why I have been a reader for as long as I can remember and that is something perhaps ALL readers share. I read to find myself... a better understanding of myself and how I fit into the world around me, which often seems so alien; and of course, I read to travel to all of the places I might never go otherwise.
As George R.R. Martin said in his novel, 'A Dance with Dragons'.... "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."
June 20, 2019
The books she needed called out to her at the right time, Ann Hood believes.
Like many teenagers, she wrestled with sadness and angst, without any identifiable reason.
Ann now feels her teenage angst was due to inner anguish about her future career and independence vs marriage and family, as women in the 1970s were for the most part still expected to put the needs of a husband and family above their own aspirations.
In books, Ann had discovered an intense yearning for a bigger life than her childhood and adolescence in small town Rhode Island allowed.
Having found her calling as a writer at a young age, Ann was intent on pursuing a life of adventure and travel. Such experiences would provide a well of experiences in which to draw inspiration for her writing.
In her reading, she found the answers she needed and learned how to live. By reading books by great writers, she learned how to write.
Most importantly, through her reading, Ann Hood cultivated an inner determination to hold fast to her dreams and never let them go.
I loved this inspiring memoir and highly recommend it!
Like many teenagers, she wrestled with sadness and angst, without any identifiable reason.
Ann now feels her teenage angst was due to inner anguish about her future career and independence vs marriage and family, as women in the 1970s were for the most part still expected to put the needs of a husband and family above their own aspirations.
In books, Ann had discovered an intense yearning for a bigger life than her childhood and adolescence in small town Rhode Island allowed.
Having found her calling as a writer at a young age, Ann was intent on pursuing a life of adventure and travel. Such experiences would provide a well of experiences in which to draw inspiration for her writing.
In her reading, she found the answers she needed and learned how to live. By reading books by great writers, she learned how to write.
Most importantly, through her reading, Ann Hood cultivated an inner determination to hold fast to her dreams and never let them go.
I loved this inspiring memoir and highly recommend it!
December 11, 2018
It turns out that Ann Hood grew up around the same time as I did and we read many of the same books at the same age. She even moved to New York the same year I did. So I loved this book in a very personal way. Although we lived across the country from each other and had very different families, she spoke directly to me.
I loved the approach of this book. When I think about growing up, the books that I read are inseparable from my life at that time. Books have always helped me know myself and the world better. And this wonderful book reminded me of that.
I loved the approach of this book. When I think about growing up, the books that I read are inseparable from my life at that time. Books have always helped me know myself and the world better. And this wonderful book reminded me of that.
March 11, 2019
Ann Hood grew up in a big Italian family in the Rhode Island mill town of West Warwick. While there were not many books around their home, her large extended family entertained each other with storytelling.
"Morningstar: Growing Up With Books" is a memoir that uses books to tell the story of her early life. Hood was an early reader, and was taking adult books out of the library as a ten year old. She learned about emotions, war, sex, other cultures, and the world through fictional books. Although other books are mentioned, she concentrates on the ten books that were especially meaningful to her. This book did not have the "warm conversation over tea" feeling that I enjoyed in some "books about books". But I remember the same historical events, and I had read many of her favorite books so it was a fun trip down memory lane.
"Morningstar: Growing Up With Books" is a memoir that uses books to tell the story of her early life. Hood was an early reader, and was taking adult books out of the library as a ten year old. She learned about emotions, war, sex, other cultures, and the world through fictional books. Although other books are mentioned, she concentrates on the ten books that were especially meaningful to her. This book did not have the "warm conversation over tea" feeling that I enjoyed in some "books about books". But I remember the same historical events, and I had read many of her favorite books so it was a fun trip down memory lane.
March 25, 2017
4.5 blissful reading stars!
This book reminds me of my childhood, just four years earlier. Almost everything Ann remembers reading, doing as an adolescent in the awkward years of tweenager-hood, I can recall as well. My parents weren't Italian immigrants, but one generation removed, so not far from some traditions. This book may not be for everyone, but if you grew up, loving to read books, loving libraries, (and I suspect there are a few on GR's), then you'll enjoy this book.
Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher.
This book reminds me of my childhood, just four years earlier. Almost everything Ann remembers reading, doing as an adolescent in the awkward years of tweenager-hood, I can recall as well. My parents weren't Italian immigrants, but one generation removed, so not far from some traditions. This book may not be for everyone, but if you grew up, loving to read books, loving libraries, (and I suspect there are a few on GR's), then you'll enjoy this book.
Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher.
September 18, 2017
Ten books that helped the author grow up and understand the world outside her small town of Warwick, Rhode Island. I generally love books about books so not sure why I didn't like this more.
February 28, 2023
Ann Hood and I are book twins.
Ann was born a month after me, and we both graduated from high school the same year. We both spontaneous began to read at an early age, we both grew up in families that had blue-collar roots, and we both spent our youth in small towns, though she grew up on the East Coast and I in the South.
We both loved books.
Ann had many experiences that I could relate to. Ann's teacher called an emergency conference with Ann's mother after Ann wrote a haiku that seemed disturbing to her. "Is Ann depressed?" the teacher asked Ann's mother. "No," her mother said, "she's just weird." When Ann took her carefully saved allowance with her and used it on a Nancy Drew, Ann's mother sighed, "I cannot believe you are wasting your money on a book. A book! Of all things!" And, later, after Ann spent time with her cousin talking about their latest reads, Ann's mother shouted, "Put the book down and go outside and play!" And that was the message others sent to me.
But Ann and I persevered. Ann shares nine books that had meaning to her growing up; I, too, read and loved five of the nine as a young person.
I felt like Ann and I lived deeply parallel lives. If it wasn't so odd, I'd reach out and befriend her; we have so much in common.
My favorite passage:
"This is why we all read, isn't it? To know the world and ourselves better. To find our place in that world. Even if you did have access to readers and guidance on what to read, even if you grew up in a family that loved to read and owned shelves of books, still, still, one day a book falls into your hands---perhaps it's Beloved or A Wrinkle in Time or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; perhaps it's Great Expectations or Pride and Prejudice---whatever book it is, it falls into your hands at just the right moment when you need to read it. It transforms you. Perhaps it lifts you up when you are at your lowest; perhaps it shows you what love is, or what it feels like to lose love; perhaps it brings you places far away or shows you how to stay put when you need to."
Ann was born a month after me, and we both graduated from high school the same year. We both spontaneous began to read at an early age, we both grew up in families that had blue-collar roots, and we both spent our youth in small towns, though she grew up on the East Coast and I in the South.
We both loved books.
Ann had many experiences that I could relate to. Ann's teacher called an emergency conference with Ann's mother after Ann wrote a haiku that seemed disturbing to her. "Is Ann depressed?" the teacher asked Ann's mother. "No," her mother said, "she's just weird." When Ann took her carefully saved allowance with her and used it on a Nancy Drew, Ann's mother sighed, "I cannot believe you are wasting your money on a book. A book! Of all things!" And, later, after Ann spent time with her cousin talking about their latest reads, Ann's mother shouted, "Put the book down and go outside and play!" And that was the message others sent to me.
But Ann and I persevered. Ann shares nine books that had meaning to her growing up; I, too, read and loved five of the nine as a young person.
I felt like Ann and I lived deeply parallel lives. If it wasn't so odd, I'd reach out and befriend her; we have so much in common.
My favorite passage:
"This is why we all read, isn't it? To know the world and ourselves better. To find our place in that world. Even if you did have access to readers and guidance on what to read, even if you grew up in a family that loved to read and owned shelves of books, still, still, one day a book falls into your hands---perhaps it's Beloved or A Wrinkle in Time or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; perhaps it's Great Expectations or Pride and Prejudice---whatever book it is, it falls into your hands at just the right moment when you need to read it. It transforms you. Perhaps it lifts you up when you are at your lowest; perhaps it shows you what love is, or what it feels like to lose love; perhaps it brings you places far away or shows you how to stay put when you need to."
July 30, 2017
When Ann Hood's memoir Morningstar: Growing Up With Books arrived in the mail, I opened it up to glance at it. I read the Introduction, in which Hood talks about her family and hometown and discovery of books, in particular, Louis May Alcott's Little Women.
I made myself a cup of hot tea and settled in to read the first chapter.
Before dinner, I had read the entire book. I could not put it down. Hood's voice and personality, her childhood yearning for something bigger, her love of reading and the impact books had on her life, caught my heart as well as my interest. I felt a kinship. I recognized myself reflected in her life, and while reading I thought about the books that had changed my life.
Hood's reading was free ranging, preferring thick books. She believes that the right book comes into a reader's life at the time it is needed, and this small book gives credit to the books that helped her understand life, answering the questions that perplexed her, and showing the path to personal growth and adulthood.
I recommend Morningstar for everyone who loves books, whose lives were touched by books. Those who as children found answers and discovered new questions, who found understanding and direction in the pages.
The back cover reads, "In her admired works of fiction, including the recent The Book That Matters Most, Ann Hood explores the transformative power of literature. Now, with warmth and honesty, Hood reveals the personal story behind these beloved novels." Another book for my TBR list! But when I was at our local bookstore this morning, I choose to buy Hood's novel The Red Thread. I am eager to read more of Hood's work.
The chapters and major books discussed are:
Lesson 1: How to Dream, in which Hood address the impact of Majorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk, which she read as a teenager who felt trapped in a narrow life.
Lesson 2: How to Become a Writer concerns The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Hood's yearning for something more.
Lesson 3: How to Ask Why considers Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbull and the Viet Nam War.
In Lesson 4: How to Buy Books, Hood agonizes over purchasing books, in particular, Love Story by Eric Segal.
Hood's brother gifted her a set of Steinbeck books, and in Lesson 5: How to Write A Book she writes about what Grapes of Wrath taught about layers of meaning.
A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins was her introduction to another culture, which Hood writes about in Lesson 7: Be Curious.
As a curious teen, The Harrad Experiment by Robert Rimmer answered questions she could not ask, Lesson 8: How to Have Sex.
How to See the World is Lesson 9, in which Pasternak's Dr. Zhivago exposed Hood to exotic places and times.
The last, Lesson 10: How to Run Away, is inspired by the character longing to escape in John Updike's Rabbit, Run.
I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I made myself a cup of hot tea and settled in to read the first chapter.
Before dinner, I had read the entire book. I could not put it down. Hood's voice and personality, her childhood yearning for something bigger, her love of reading and the impact books had on her life, caught my heart as well as my interest. I felt a kinship. I recognized myself reflected in her life, and while reading I thought about the books that had changed my life.
Hood's reading was free ranging, preferring thick books. She believes that the right book comes into a reader's life at the time it is needed, and this small book gives credit to the books that helped her understand life, answering the questions that perplexed her, and showing the path to personal growth and adulthood.
I recommend Morningstar for everyone who loves books, whose lives were touched by books. Those who as children found answers and discovered new questions, who found understanding and direction in the pages.
The back cover reads, "In her admired works of fiction, including the recent The Book That Matters Most, Ann Hood explores the transformative power of literature. Now, with warmth and honesty, Hood reveals the personal story behind these beloved novels." Another book for my TBR list! But when I was at our local bookstore this morning, I choose to buy Hood's novel The Red Thread. I am eager to read more of Hood's work.
The chapters and major books discussed are:
Lesson 1: How to Dream, in which Hood address the impact of Majorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk, which she read as a teenager who felt trapped in a narrow life.
Lesson 2: How to Become a Writer concerns The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Hood's yearning for something more.
Lesson 3: How to Ask Why considers Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbull and the Viet Nam War.
In Lesson 4: How to Buy Books, Hood agonizes over purchasing books, in particular, Love Story by Eric Segal.
Hood's brother gifted her a set of Steinbeck books, and in Lesson 5: How to Write A Book she writes about what Grapes of Wrath taught about layers of meaning.
A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins was her introduction to another culture, which Hood writes about in Lesson 7: Be Curious.
As a curious teen, The Harrad Experiment by Robert Rimmer answered questions she could not ask, Lesson 8: How to Have Sex.
How to See the World is Lesson 9, in which Pasternak's Dr. Zhivago exposed Hood to exotic places and times.
The last, Lesson 10: How to Run Away, is inspired by the character longing to escape in John Updike's Rabbit, Run.
I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
September 3, 2017
"This is why we all read, isn't it? To know the world and ourselves better. To find our place in that world. Even if you did have access to readers and guidance on what to read, even if you grew up in a family that loved to read and owned shelves of books, still, still, one day a book falls into your hands--perhaps it's Beloved or A Wrinkle in Time or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; perhaps it's Great Expectations or Pride and Prejudice-- whatever book it is, it falls into your hands at just the right moment when you need to read it. It transforms you."
What a heartfelt book about one writer's passion for books! Ann Hood is one of my favorite contemporary novelists. I love her warm and comforting style of writing (to me it's like eating a bowl of mac & cheese!), but don't let that fool you! She's got some serious writing chops! I adore her sincere voice and passion for language and words. She's written several bestselling novels and a beautiful memoir called Comfort.
In her new memoir, she writes about her life with books. She mentions her favorites, The Grapes of Wrath, The Bell Jar, Rabbit, Run, Dr. Zhivago and Love Story among them, and how they have shaped, changed and guided her. I loved reading about her path to becoming a writer, the lessons she learned from a life of reading and how books took her to that place beyond the beyond...
It was just wonderful to see a coveted author talk about books!
Morningstar is a new release published last month!
What a heartfelt book about one writer's passion for books! Ann Hood is one of my favorite contemporary novelists. I love her warm and comforting style of writing (to me it's like eating a bowl of mac & cheese!), but don't let that fool you! She's got some serious writing chops! I adore her sincere voice and passion for language and words. She's written several bestselling novels and a beautiful memoir called Comfort.
In her new memoir, she writes about her life with books. She mentions her favorites, The Grapes of Wrath, The Bell Jar, Rabbit, Run, Dr. Zhivago and Love Story among them, and how they have shaped, changed and guided her. I loved reading about her path to becoming a writer, the lessons she learned from a life of reading and how books took her to that place beyond the beyond...
It was just wonderful to see a coveted author talk about books!
Morningstar is a new release published last month!
December 21, 2017
Fantastic memoir and I devoured it in a day. I now have a need to re-read THE HARRAD EXPERIMENT. More thoughts to come.
August 20, 2017
This is a lovely book about books. Written so very well, each page is a joy. Ann Hood takes the reader on a wonderful journey of books that changed her life. Weaving the title of the book with the story of how and why the particular book led the author on a marvelous path, I read the book in one sitting, relating to many of which I had read.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
March 24, 2023
Like Hood, I have been a book lover since my early childhood years. I can't remember a time when I did not find joy in books. I remember my grandfather warning my grandmother that if I didn't stop reading so much, I would likely go blind! LOL. My sassy grandmother rolled her eyes and told him he needed to pick up a book! LOL.
I recall going through a very stressful, frankly unhappy patch in adulthood and one of my best friends asking, "Are you reading books like you used to?" I wasn't reading for leisure as much then mainly because I had become so busy as an exhausted working mom of young kids and a wife to a husband who was constantly working around the clock. Also, I was reading most of the day as part of my work as an attorney. My friend suggested that I start back reading more for leisure because she remembered how happy books made me when we were younger. I picked back up on my reading and it was like someone suddenly flipped a switch. Books made me happier. I haven't neglected my reading since and now acknowledge that reading is my self-care.
Over time, so many different books have taught, impacted and shaped me. Here, Hood explores how she stumbled upon several very impactful books at just the right times during her life. Many of her experiences with books resonated with me.
If you have been a book addict for as long as you can remember and would like to reminisce about your relationship with books over the years, this book is for you.
I recall going through a very stressful, frankly unhappy patch in adulthood and one of my best friends asking, "Are you reading books like you used to?" I wasn't reading for leisure as much then mainly because I had become so busy as an exhausted working mom of young kids and a wife to a husband who was constantly working around the clock. Also, I was reading most of the day as part of my work as an attorney. My friend suggested that I start back reading more for leisure because she remembered how happy books made me when we were younger. I picked back up on my reading and it was like someone suddenly flipped a switch. Books made me happier. I haven't neglected my reading since and now acknowledge that reading is my self-care.
Over time, so many different books have taught, impacted and shaped me. Here, Hood explores how she stumbled upon several very impactful books at just the right times during her life. Many of her experiences with books resonated with me.
If you have been a book addict for as long as you can remember and would like to reminisce about your relationship with books over the years, this book is for you.
April 30, 2024
April 30, 2024 — I read this book over 5 years ago. I remembered that I'd liked it, but couldn't remember the details. Now, I've just listened to the Audible audio version (not CD) and loved it. As I said in 2019, books about books are some of my favorite reads. I thoroughly enjoyed this bookish memoir. I share many of the same experiences and feelings about the books that Hood discusses. And I love reflecting on how much books in general, and particular books, have shaped my life and the person I am.
I'm so glad I returned to this book. It's a really enjoyable listen! Excellent narration by Donna Postel.
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December, 2018 — Books about books are some of my favorite reads. I thoroughly enjoyed this booky memoir. I share many of the same experiences and feelings about the books that Hood discusses. And I love reflecting on how much books in general, and particular books, have shaped my life and the person I am.
I really found it an enjoyable and satisfying reading memoir. Right before this one, I’d read Sara Nelson’s So Many Books, So Little Time. I couldn’t really relate to many of Nelson’s experiences, likes, and dislikes. When it comes to my reading life, I’m much more in tune with Hood. I read this book in just a few hours and wish it had been longer.
I'm so glad I returned to this book. It's a really enjoyable listen! Excellent narration by Donna Postel.
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December, 2018 — Books about books are some of my favorite reads. I thoroughly enjoyed this booky memoir. I share many of the same experiences and feelings about the books that Hood discusses. And I love reflecting on how much books in general, and particular books, have shaped my life and the person I am.
I really found it an enjoyable and satisfying reading memoir. Right before this one, I’d read Sara Nelson’s So Many Books, So Little Time. I couldn’t really relate to many of Nelson’s experiences, likes, and dislikes. When it comes to my reading life, I’m much more in tune with Hood. I read this book in just a few hours and wish it had been longer.
April 17, 2017
This is a slim book but it says so much and I could probably write a thesis on it. Noted author Ann Hood writes about learning to read and how the magical powers of reading transformed her life. She's the little girl who would rather stay indoors to read than go outside. She's the teenage girl who experiences romantic love in a book. She's the college student who thinks deeply about life. Simply said, Ann Hood has written a book that lovers of the written word will savor, discuss and debate. I will reread this again, and again. Thank you Ann.
I read an advance copy and was not compensated.
I read an advance copy and was not compensated.
November 22, 2019
“I have my books
And my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb
I touch no one and no one touches me...”—Simon and Garfunkel, “I Am a Rock”
https://ginghampanda.blogspot.com/201...
And my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb
I touch no one and no one touches me...”—Simon and Garfunkel, “I Am a Rock”
https://ginghampanda.blogspot.com/201...
May 19, 2021
What reader doesn't like a book about someone loving books! Short, but good read!
January 13, 2018
I'm not very familiar with author Hood but I was immediately drawn to a premise of reading about Hood growing up with books. Sold!
It's a memoir of Hood and the role books have played in her life. From the individual books listed at the beginning of each chapter to her voracious reading habits and how books helped her in life, Hood talks about books, reading and more. Unfortunately, this slim volume was quite boring. Initially her childhood and early years seemed interesting and it was fascinating to see how she came from a background of limited access to books to becoming a widely published author. But it just falls flat.
The problem is that she tries too hard to frame it around particular books (which all get spoiled, so be warned if you planned to read any of them). It didn't particularly compel me to want to read any of the titles she discussed and her selection of the chapter headers as the titles were just not that interesting to me. I had not heard of some of the titles but they seemed pretty boring. Mostly men, I think mostly US-based, etc.
Will certainly concede that she came from a background where books were not readily available and so that might have affected what she sought out, what was accessible, etc. As another review on Goodreads notes, the book might be very much for people who are of Hood's generation. As a sidenote, she's also married to Michael Ruhlman, author of a couple of food/cooking-related books. I also found his titles rather boring.
It's a pity because I had initially liked Hood's 'The Book That Matters Most' only to find it rather hokey at the end. I guess she's not an author for me.
Library borrow but I suppose it could be a good gift for someone who's a fan hers or is a reader and is in the same age range as Hood (to better relate).
It's a memoir of Hood and the role books have played in her life. From the individual books listed at the beginning of each chapter to her voracious reading habits and how books helped her in life, Hood talks about books, reading and more. Unfortunately, this slim volume was quite boring. Initially her childhood and early years seemed interesting and it was fascinating to see how she came from a background of limited access to books to becoming a widely published author. But it just falls flat.
The problem is that she tries too hard to frame it around particular books (which all get spoiled, so be warned if you planned to read any of them). It didn't particularly compel me to want to read any of the titles she discussed and her selection of the chapter headers as the titles were just not that interesting to me. I had not heard of some of the titles but they seemed pretty boring. Mostly men, I think mostly US-based, etc.
Will certainly concede that she came from a background where books were not readily available and so that might have affected what she sought out, what was accessible, etc. As another review on Goodreads notes, the book might be very much for people who are of Hood's generation. As a sidenote, she's also married to Michael Ruhlman, author of a couple of food/cooking-related books. I also found his titles rather boring.
It's a pity because I had initially liked Hood's 'The Book That Matters Most' only to find it rather hokey at the end. I guess she's not an author for me.
Library borrow but I suppose it could be a good gift for someone who's a fan hers or is a reader and is in the same age range as Hood (to better relate).
August 29, 2017
Beautifully written, but too short. I wish she had continued with more of her life.
August 2, 2017
One of the genres I love the most is books about books, and this is a great example. Ann Hood's family, for the most part, weren't readers. She and an older cousin traded Nancy Drew novels, but in general, she was the family oddball. One of her first book-related memories involved reading Little Women and being so consumed with the story and Beth dying that she missed some school activities. Most of the books she mentioned here I haven't read (I did read Little Women, of course, but I'm a lot more familiar with the Winona Ryder version of the movie), but I definitely still have similar stories of being late or almost late because of random books (I stayed up literally all night to read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon).
Ann Hood is also one of my favorite authors, and her books are always all these stunningly well-written things. This is especially true in this one---it's so clearly a topic she's passionate about, and it comes through in every word and page here.
Recommended.
December 25, 2020
Reading this was a sweet little Christmas gift to myself. I am often disappointed by the “books on books” genre as so many of them are more or less just lists, or they just strike me wrong, being too judgmental, or not judgmental enough, or just altogether too prescriptive, too bossy, too arch, too annoying in one way or another. I also tend to resent “spoilers” as I am reading them, which wasn’t my experience here. While some endings are revealed, I didn’t find it troubling as I typically do. This one spoke to me as a voracious reader, and embraced the joy of reading across genre, essentially at random, as the author highlights books that meant a lot to her as she grew into herself. It is heartfelt, and open, and altogether just very pleasant to read.
August 2, 2017
I received this book yesterday and devoured it. I love reading authors' describing their lives and the books they were reading at certain times. Hood is no exception. It's wonderful to know there are fellow bibliophiles who share the passion of books and reading.
May 6, 2025
I love reading memoirs like this.
December 5, 2017
Really fun and interesting to read. Made me feel like less of a book nerd.
October 24, 2017
Love, love, love this book. I could relate to so much of Ann Hood’s childhood experience—of finding freedom and a whole world beyond my narrow existence in books.
July 6, 2017
This is an exquisitely elegant Memoir: MORNINGSTAR: Growing Up With Books written by the delightful Ann Hood. I read Hood's charming novel: The Book That Matters Most just last year. If you are a Reader, you all know who you are, you'll love this book!
Ann Hood is only a little over a year younger than I; so Ann and my's growing up years were basically at the same time. I related to her reading from a very young age, because when I began to read, that's all I did, too! She read many of the same books that I did. In those days of the 1960's -70's, we learned almost everything we knew about love, lust, and sex from books. These things were not talked about like they are today! I also learned more about history, different people, and the world from the books I read, than from anywhere else. I still do! I hope that you, too, find this Memoir to be nostalgic, beautifully written, and thought-provoking, in the same way that I did. Thanks Ms Ann Hood for the memories!! I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway and Minotaur Books. Thank-you so much for this superb Memoir. However, this review is my own unbiased opinion.
Ann Hood is only a little over a year younger than I; so Ann and my's growing up years were basically at the same time. I related to her reading from a very young age, because when I began to read, that's all I did, too! She read many of the same books that I did. In those days of the 1960's -70's, we learned almost everything we knew about love, lust, and sex from books. These things were not talked about like they are today! I also learned more about history, different people, and the world from the books I read, than from anywhere else. I still do! I hope that you, too, find this Memoir to be nostalgic, beautifully written, and thought-provoking, in the same way that I did. Thanks Ms Ann Hood for the memories!! I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway and Minotaur Books. Thank-you so much for this superb Memoir. However, this review is my own unbiased opinion.
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