Erin's Book #2: The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

Trying to select my second book to read, I laid out a stack of contenders and asked my boyfriend for help. He suggested I select the one that would be the most uplifting and inspiring to help get the new year off to a good start. I chose a memoir about cancer, which may seem like an odd choice, but hey, there's a small girl in a yellow dress jumping on the cover!

I think it was the perfect choice. I. Loved. This. Book. Kelly Corrigan takes us through her journey with breast cancer, beginning with discovering a lump while bathing with her two young daughters. She also interweaves stories of growing up amongst her big, devoted family, from her earliest memories to meeting her husband.

Although death weighs heavily over the entire book, The Middle Place is an uplifting, emotional story. The title refers to the place between childhood and parenthood, being both a mother and a daughter, and the inevitable growing up. This book is ultimately about the people in our lives that make our lives what they are. I wanted to be a Corrigan, but this book also made me so grateful for my own family and friends. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to call my parents and hug my boyfriend repeatedly.

Corrigan's writing is vivid, beautiful, and honest, whether she's describing a high school fight with her mom over a pair of Guess jeans or shaving her head to protect her daughters from watching her slowly lose her hair. Obviously, stories like this make you grateful for your health, but they also help you appreciate the small things in life that make it worth living, the little moments with the people you love.