Book Review by Theresa Gillis
KENNEBUNK –
Monica Wood is a Maine author and my former high
school guidance counselor. While
she probably doesn’t remember me as a student, I have been an avid reader of her
fiction. Her latest book, “When We
Were the Kennedys: A Memoir from Mexico, Maine” is a step back into. Wood’s
childhood and a revealing look at life in a Maine milltown.
For those of us who spent time growing up in
“milltowns,” the descriptions of smoke-filled skies and towering smoke stacks
is familiar. Mexico, Maine, like
many of the milltowns in Maine, was made up of families, often with deep ties
to each other, to the mill and to a local church. And like other paper mills, the Oxford Paper Company
provided security then uncertainty as times changed.
Within the backdrop of her hometown, Wood shares her
deeply personal memories of both her father and mother. These memories include
her brother, her sisters and a treasured uncle and a slew of relatives from
Prince Edward Island. Wood recounts time in her Catholic school and the trip
her family takes to Washington DC just after the assassination of President
Kennedy.
As a reader, I was drawn into this memoir because it
felt like a familiar story - the story of a Catholic family growing up in
milltown Maine. This could have
been my story - with many exceptions of course. My parents still live in their milltown of Westbrook, but
neither worked at the mill; my siblings and I have moved away from the mill
while remaining in Maine; and I don’t have an uncle who is a priest. You don’t need to have a family like
Monica Wood’s to enjoy this deeply engaging memoir, however. For those of us from Maine, there is
the flavor that may not be present in all memoirs (including the frequent
mention of Moxie). But Moxie and
gumption are with the Woods family throughout “When We Were the Kennedys.” You will be rooting for Monica and her
family as you enjoy her touching memoir.
Monica Wood will be at Kennebooks, 149 Port Road in
Kennebunk, on Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m. reading from “When We Were the
Kennedys,” and signing this new book.
