Kelly Corrigan - The Middle Place Review

"The Middle Place" by Kelly Corrigan was a suggested read by my book club, and I'm so grateful for the group of women who share reading as a passion with myself and others!  This is a biography written by a funny, self-effacing, proud and brave writer who found herself battling breast cancer at the same time as her beloved Daddy was battling prostrate/bladder/whatever can take down an optimistic Catholic/Irish cancer (here's a hint, the cancer tries to star, but doesn't have a chance against these great characters!)

Kelly Corrigan writes directly from her heart, she is so entirely honest with the peaks and valleys of her journey, I was awed by her openness.  George is described as a complete super hero, he is her daddy and she ADORES him.  Husband, brothers, children and yes, even Mom have very important places in this chapter of the Corrigan family history, but the central theme is Kelly's struggle with cancer/chemo/still trying to be a mom/still trying to be female..all the things we (women) really worry about strugging with if we were to face such a dire diagnosis.  However, she is so distracted by her father's woes (he's oblivious due to his unwavering optimism) she uses his illness as an escape.  EVERYONE sees and knows and confronts her with her ways, but she is so dang cute and funny with her description of things, I can honestly see how she wedges her way into situations where she is demanding care for her dad when she herself is actually much worse off!  Sounds terrible, but she makes it funny (that is why she is the professional author)!

Great book for any woman who has been affected by cancer, women who appreciate the love of a good daddy or anyone looking for a funny and inspirational book.  Due to profanity, I would not recommend this book to young readers.  I laughed (hard), cried (a couple of times) and felt like I was walking away from a friend when I read the last page.  For a bio, that is a good feeling to leave your readers with.  I highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to my book club discussion in a week!