Review: The Middle Place

Kelly Corrigan grew up quite the “Daddy’s Girl.”  Her father, George, is one of those characters who everyone loves – the kind of person who never meets a stranger.  In 2004, Kelly was a happily married mother of two, comfortable in the middle place – “that sliver of time when childhood and parenthood overlap.”  While playing with her daughters one evening, Kelly discovered a lump in her breast that turned out to be cancer.  While she was undergoing cancer treatments, her father found out that he had bladder cancer.

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan is more than the story of Kelly’s and her father’s battles with cancer.  It includes stories from Kelly’s past, so that you learn how she got to be who she is.  The love she and her family have for each other is evident in the pages of this book.   Kelly’s parents really reminded me of my own parents.  When Kelly’s mother told her that one of the worst times of her life was Kelly’s sixth grade year, I could tell that she is just like my mother.   I really enjoyed this emotional book. I wouldn’t call it sad, though – it’s really up-lifting and life affirming.   I probably laughed more than I cried while I read it.

Kelly Corrigan lives in California with her husband and two daughters.  She has started an organization,  Circus of Cancer, to teach people how to help a friend or loved one with cancer.  Book Club Girl will be interviewing Kelly on Blog Talk Radio on May 27, 2009 at 7:00PM.  Listen in or sign into the chat room and ask a question – these interviews are always so much fun.