voices
What’s in a name? Is it normal to feel a loss when one changes one’s name? My name and I have been through a lot. I practiced writing it for years, for heaven’s sake! Parting with it is such sweet sorrow.
By Backwoods Barbie
I have not been kidnapped by zombies nor did I run for the hills of New Zealand. Topping my list of things to feel guilty about is my possibly unnoticed absence from these pages. After months of sharing my follies, fears, and fashion faux pas of wedding planning, my brain simply shut down for a short hiatus. I survived, he survived and to my knowledge no one was featured on CNN or Mugshots, therefore it was an obvious success. Now that I am back to the less glamorous life of work, work, and well a little more work I have finally made my way through a mountain of email, a tunnel of to-dos, and a thousand thankyou’s. It isn’t that I don’t write, I certainly do. No offense, but sometimes some of this stuff is best left resting in an old wooden chest. An 11-page expose of the behind the scenes of my wedding would certainly get me removed from many a Christmas list, or at the very least have
Cherimie Crane Weatherford
a few asking if I should, in fact, be committed. Writing is my therapy, my end of the day wind down, and my insurance against future meanies (well it works). The tornado of topics twirls tumultuously as I tap away on my well-worn keys. There is very little that I can’t stretch, intertwine, and evolve into a rather impressive story about absolutely nothing. It is a gift, a curse, and an odd obsession. Sitting in the lessthan-social abyss of the Social Security Administration, my meandering mind ran rampant. Is it normal to feel a loss when one changes one’s name?
My name and I have been through quite a lot. We have been picked on relentlessly, butchered at every public pronouncement and always left short in those darn little boxes on standardized tests I practiced writing it for years, for heaven’s sake! Parting is such sweet sorrow. Who knew it would bother me? Well, apparently the lady behind the window at the social security desk. Voluntarily giving your coveted number to the next waitingin-line warrior may have given it away. After selflessly sacrificing my up next gift on less than thrilled attendees, I surrendered. There was no burial, no ceremonious
goodbye, not even a well done. In a matter of moments my name was no more. Shouldn’t I get a tissue, a stamp, something? It is not my intent to be a star straight from the pages of the “Feminine Mystic.” I have never burned a bra, well not on purpose, and I rather enjoy having a door opened. However, erasing my name stings a bit. My sentiments failed at entertaining the social security name changing nemesis, so I took my papers, my new name, and my sense of loss straight to the chocolate aisle. The overly impressive intake of Tootsie Rolls didn’t give me my name back but did give me a distracting toothache. I mean no disrespect. Sweet Southern Belles, forgive my public diatribe, I mean no harm. I will learn to write my new name, eventually answer when called upon, and settle for being placed at the end of the alphabet. After all, I still have the right to vote, I can wear pants, and for now I still have a right to bear arms. I just can’t do it under Crane.
Great biographies as a window on American history By Jack Sparacino
S
ure, I took history classes in school. But it was far from my favorite subject and unfortunately, not much of it stuck. Much later, though, I discovered the joy of exploring history somewhat indirectly through interesting biographies and autobiographies. Not only can you learn a lot about people you’ve been fascinated by, but in a really well researched and written book, you can also learn more broadly about their times. Here are ten of my favorite biographies, most of which are loaded with terrific photos. They are admittedly tilted a bit toward sports legends and listed roughly in order of when the subject lived. If any of these books are new to you, I hope you like them, too. 1. George Washington. There are, of course, shelves of books on and about George Washington. The one that got my attention and kept it is “His Excellency: George Washington,” by Joseph J. Ellis. If you want to dig into not only one of our nation’s all time most influential people and the incredible times he lived in, including his fascinating military career, this is a wonderful book and not lengthy. The book may make you ponder why so few if any leaders rise to his level of visionary courage and positive impact on our lives today. 2. Teddy Roosevelt. Talk about an atomic powerhouse of a man, a force of nature, that was Teddy Roosevelt. He was an intensely dynamic president and of course achieved international fame for his military accomplishments, focus on developing national parks, and courageous forays into raw jungle and wilderness. The three volume series on Roosevelt by Pulitzer Prize winning author Edmund Morris is hard to beat. The details of TR’s
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Jack Sparacino has a Ph.D. in psychology from The University of Chicago. He has published over 20 articles in refereed journals in psychology and medicine. He is retired and now lives with his wife, Jane and their three dogs on St. Helena Island. His hobbies include fishing, clamming, crabbing, shrimping and writing.
many adventures and the political for non-baseball fans. environment he wrestled with around 5. William Randolph Hearst. One the turn of the 20th century come to of the truly “larger than life” personalities life with breathtaking velocity. in American history. Publishing 3. W.C. Fields. As he once observed, giant. Political piranha. Undaunted “The world is getting to be such a entrepreneur. David Nasaw’s “The dangerous place, a man is lucky to get out Chief: The Life of William Randolph of it alive.” The famously wry if ornery Hearst” is a tour de force in its panoramic comedian, much more nuanced and exploration of an extremely full and complex than some might have thought, massively influential life. This book is was born in 1880 intensely scholarly and started his Not only can you learn a and rather long professional put on a pot of lot about people you’ve so life as a world coffee. class juggler been fascinated by, but in Not decaf. in vaudeville. 6. Humphrey a really well researched He toured Bogart. Born and written book, you internationally almost exactly at to rave reviews. can also learn more the turn of the 20th The biography by broadly about their times. century, Bogart James Curtis is a exceeded just fun and poignant about everyone’s read, with fascinating insights into the expectations. His amazing acting career, entertainment world of the early 20th strength of character, and long running century. Another marvelous inside look conflict with his studio chiefs at Warner is available in “W.C. Fields by Himself: Brothers, are touchingly chronicled in His Intended Autobiography” by Fields “Bogart” by A. M. Sperber. For anyone himself and his grandson, Ronald J. who ever enjoyed ANY of Bogart’s Fields. many movies from the 1930’s, 40’s and 4. Casey Stengel. The absolutely 50’s and wondered what Hollywood unique Mr. Stengel started his career as was like back then, this book will make a professional baseball player, and was you say “hmm” a lot. Maybe even “here’s a very decent major league outfielder looking at you!” from 1912-1925, before going on to 7. Lou Gehrig. Far more than the managerial fame with the Yankees man that an awful disease was named and Mets. Like Fields, he had a more after, Lou Gehrig was the centerpiece of complex personality and was sharper the Yankees during the Depression. His than might have first met the eye. He modest but intensely solid upbringing could also make people laugh. Robert and dazzling career at first base, with W. Creamer’s biography of “the ole nothing but crushed baseballs and perfessor,” “Stengel: His Life and Times,” cheering fans in his wake, are laid out is instructive and sometimes funny, even for all of us to share in Jonathan Eig’s
the island news | october 27 - november 3, 2011 | www.yourislandnews.com
“Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig.” The title is a tipoff. Be prepared to shed a few tears with his book, both happy and sad ones. It’s a real winner. 8. Ben Bradlee. Talk about a grandly successful journalist and publisher. Ben Bradlee had just the sort of gritty Navy career early in life that you might expect. His hard hitting victories at The Washington Post are well documented, as are the charm, wit and charisma of this modern day icon. His autobiography, “A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures,” is a world of fun and deeply revealing. 9. Sandy Koufax. For my money at least, this handsome fellow, at the height of his career with the Dodgers in the early-mid 1960’s, was the best pitcher on earth. How about 25 wins against 5 losses in 1963 with an ERA of 1.88 and 306 strikeouts. I can still fondly remember listening to Dodger announcer Vin Scully smoothly calling his pitches on the radio. Jane Leavy works her magic in “Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy.” The Sporting News got it right when they said, “a perfect game of a book.” 10. Seabiscuit. Yes, I’m ending with a horse. But not just any racehorse, the one that captivated the nation and became one of the top entertainment beacons of the 1930’s. Exactly when America really needed a lift and was primed to get a boost from the astonishing success of a made-to-order horse practically bought at a tag sale price. The absolutely peerless Laura Hillenbrand brings this spectacular creature, his handlers and his world right into your home and heart in “Seabiscuit: An American Legend.” There, from the father of our country to the father of all great underdogs. Let me know how you make out with these treasures.