“I Am Still Here" A New Book by Martina Reaves
By Christie Seeley
Vallartasounds.com
A friend of mine does computer consulting here in Berkeley, California and has several clients who are writers. Many are writing fiction, others memoirs. Recently he shared with me a book by one of his clients called "I Am Still Here." I decided to take a peek and found it fascinating.
While the book addresses challenges, setbacks, and illnesses faced during her varied and productive lifetime, the writer maintains an optimistic and joyful attitude. She has the resilience of a Frida Kahlo or Giulietta Masina's character in Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria."
While covering her life experiences in the last half of the 20th century into the current period, the narrative takes the reader through many significant changes in our culture post World War II. It tracks family and friends and their reactions to these changes as well as her own. In the narrative, we experience many significant events: coming of age at the start of the Vietnam War and hippy counterculture period, the flourishing of cults like that resulting in the Jonestown massacre, coming out as part of the lesbian community, friends with HIV, same-sex parenting and marriage, and a long term battle with illnesses including life-threatening cancer. You are breathless when you finish the book, and she, thankfully, is dancing!
Her story is related skillfully, interweaving one time period and another, painting a portrait of various Northern California communities and other areas where parents, relatives and significant friends resided. The story is full and positively not solely focused on the issues she faced but painting a picture of American culture. As a historian, this is the type of primary source one searches to understand society and a period of history.
Martina’s example encourages writers to record their thoughts in stories and memoirs, an endeavor that will leave its trail for future researchers to search for a portrait of the complexities of life in our times. I applaud her generosity in sharing her experiences and insights and, many times, guidance with us. It is indeed a gift to treasure.
Martina Reaves' memoir "I Am Still Here" is available for purchase on many print and Kindle edition online sources. Martina’s website is http://martinareaves.com/
By Christie Seeley
Vallartasounds.com
A friend of mine does computer consulting here in Berkeley, California and has several clients who are writers. Many are writing fiction, others memoirs. Recently he shared with me a book by one of his clients called "I Am Still Here." I decided to take a peek and found it fascinating.
While the book addresses challenges, setbacks, and illnesses faced during her varied and productive lifetime, the writer maintains an optimistic and joyful attitude. She has the resilience of a Frida Kahlo or Giulietta Masina's character in Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria."
While covering her life experiences in the last half of the 20th century into the current period, the narrative takes the reader through many significant changes in our culture post World War II. It tracks family and friends and their reactions to these changes as well as her own. In the narrative, we experience many significant events: coming of age at the start of the Vietnam War and hippy counterculture period, the flourishing of cults like that resulting in the Jonestown massacre, coming out as part of the lesbian community, friends with HIV, same-sex parenting and marriage, and a long term battle with illnesses including life-threatening cancer. You are breathless when you finish the book, and she, thankfully, is dancing!
Her story is related skillfully, interweaving one time period and another, painting a portrait of various Northern California communities and other areas where parents, relatives and significant friends resided. The story is full and positively not solely focused on the issues she faced but painting a picture of American culture. As a historian, this is the type of primary source one searches to understand society and a period of history.
Martina’s example encourages writers to record their thoughts in stories and memoirs, an endeavor that will leave its trail for future researchers to search for a portrait of the complexities of life in our times. I applaud her generosity in sharing her experiences and insights and, many times, guidance with us. It is indeed a gift to treasure.
Martina Reaves' memoir "I Am Still Here" is available for purchase on many print and Kindle edition online sources. Martina’s website is http://martinareaves.com/
