Hey friends! I’m back with another book review. This time, I’m reviewing a non-fiction book named Words With My Father. The author reached out to me a few years ago and asked if I would read it and I’ve had it on my list for quite some time. Recently, I had the opportunity to carve out some time to read the book and I’m glad I did. This book is unique. It follows the story of a man who struggled with Bipolar Disorder and early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and wrote a book that he hoped would inspire future generations to do better than his own. Along with that, his son adds his own perspective and notes to these lessons that his father has imparted through the book. Because of the nature of the way it is written, it feels deeply personal.
I read a lot of non-fiction books, but I don’t always share them with my blog if they don’t feel relevant to the audience. You may not be interested in the random book I read on propagating perennials, for instance. But this book does have a wider reach, like the story that I shared from Candice McCain, because it follows real struggles between people and I think all of us can learn something from it.
Lessons Learned from a Full Life
In this book, Lowell Klessing shares stories about growing up and the slow emergence of his (or perhaps the slow realization that he was dealing with) Bipolar Disorder. I found this so interesting because I have known multiple individuals with Bipolar Disorder and the author’s personal experience with the mental illness was so down-to-earth. He doesn’t treat it as some mystical thing that nobody can fully understand; he accepts it as a part of who he is and shares his story of coming to terms with that and realizing what it meant for his life. At one point he shares a story about driving a car on a frozen lake and how in retrospect, his willingness to indulge in risky, impulsive behaviors could be attributed to his Bipolar Disorder but at the time it was probably written off as his teenage hubris. The author describes all of this much better than I can but I really appreciated this. While some memoirs feel like you get a snapshot of someone’s life, this book feels more rounded because we get to read stories from his time growing up, introspection as he looks back over those experiences, as well as the input from his own son who gives a first-hand account on how these things impacted him growing up. He adds some context and personal anecdotes related to the chapters that his father shared.
This book actually reminds me of a story that I read a long time ago, Buffalo Hunting and Other Ramblings by Lee Weich, which shares a fictional (but it feels like a non-fiction) story of German immigrants trying to make a life for their families. It shares stories about boys growing up on their family farm, being given responsibilities from a young age, and falling in love. The story by Lee Weich was really touching, and for many of the same reasons, I loved Words With My Father.
I love reading stories because I love hearing about people’s struggles and triumphs. I love hearing about how they overcame and about the times when they didn’t. Lowell Klessing is very generous in sharing his story with us and imparting the knowledge that he learned throughout his full life.
Notable Quotes
There are so many lessons in this book that are powerful and poignant. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
“People spend their days getting angry at each other over issues about which they are ill-informed and that barely even affect their own lives.
They yell at each other in inflammatory dialogue and social media provocations. They shout into the void with little consequence. Meanwhile, the world burns.”
Words With My Father, p. 16
“1968 belonged to the forces of evil and chaos. It was their finest year.”
Words With My Father, p. 121
“Writing is frequently, but not always, an act of communication with others. Writing can also guide you amidst your own thoughts and disentangle your web of ideas. Putting words to page helps you work through your thoughts more methodically. The act of composition forces its own logic, pace and order. Deliberate writing can sharpen your focus in all areas and alleviate mental cloudiness.”
Words With My Father, p. 171
Takeaways
It took me less than two days to finish reading this book. I read it while (inevitably) avoiding writing my own. But I found the insights to be incredibly interesting. For one, Lowell Klessing navigated the tumultuous Sixties (in particular, the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement) on the right side of history and shared what it was like to go against the mainstream. These accounts are scary and heartbreaking all at once. I have met multiple Vietnam War Veterans who have shared their stories with me and each time I am left in stunned silence. But I had never heard the account of someone who actively didn’t want to serve in the war, who was completely against it, who protested it. I enjoyed hearing this perspective as well because many of the veterans that I have spoken with shared that they were against the war themselves, although some did not realize it until their feet landed on foreign soil. All of them felt that their lives were drastically (and negatively) impacted by the Vietnam War, including Lowell Klessing who seemed to lose his trust in those leading the government and began to question everything.
There were multiple sections regarding the Civil Rights Movement that I read aloud to my husband. In particular, the reactions that Klessing’s neighbors had to the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Of course, I’ve read about these events many times but it was really interesting to read a firsthand account.
Lowell Klessing lived a very full and interesting life and he imparted knowledge about multiple different subjects from inequality to sustainability. I am glad that I had the opportunity to read this book. If you are interested in it, you can find out more at wordswithmyfather.com.
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