Over the next three months our Boom Rethink the Drink Community will be discussing Lit by Mart Karr. Beginning February 10th there will be a discussion post shared in our community book club, which you can access here . If you prefer to interact on our free Substack you’ll also find each discussion post published there. All are welcome. You can find our previous Book Club discussions here.
Mary Karr presented a talk on her memoir at Oregan State University in 2022 that you can access here Lit: Alcoholism, Recovery and the Art of Memoir. Here are some details about the book.
Lit: A Memoir by Mary Karr chronicles her struggle with severe alcoholism, her journey to sobriety, and her spiritual awakening, following her previous memoirs The Liars’ Club and Cherry. Published in 2009, the book details her descent into addiction, her experiences as a mother, and her eventual finding of faith and recovery through support groups and a belief in a higher power. It is praised for its candid, poetic prose and honest portrayal of addiction and redemption, becoming a critically acclaimed bestseller.
Key themes and content:
- Alcoholism and addiction: Karr’s intense battle with alcohol, from heavy use to rock bottom.
- Sobriety and recovery: Her path to getting sober, including the role of support groups and a “higher power”.
- Motherhood: Her experiences as a mother and how it intersects with her addiction and recovery.
- Spiritual awakening: A surprising turn towards faith, including Catholicism, as a means of survival and growth.
- Literary style: Known for its “ferocious and poetic prose,” it’s considered a masterclass in memoir writing.
We will follow the schedule below for reading and posting about Lit. Chapters are rather short, so we should be done by the middle of May. It should be a good read, and a good conversation.
Lit Posts: Every Other Tuesday
1. Feb 10 – Prologue and Kick Off – find the first discussion post here on our Sub Stack or here in our Boom Book Club
2. Feb 24 – Chpt 1-5
3. Mar 10 – Chpt 6-11
4. Mar 24 – Chpt 12-17
5. Apr 7 – Chpt 18-23
6. Apr 21 – Chpt 24-30
7. May 5 – Chpt 31-37
8. May 19 – Chpt 38-45
JOIN US ! IN A BOOK CLUB ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN QUIT LIT
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