In this session, three memoirists investigate the destructive impulses that reside in the human psyche and the tremendous toll they exact. Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich’s The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir, was hailed by Vogue Magazine as a “true-crime masterpiece” for its “moments of profound revelation” in exploring twin events in the author’s life: working as a law student on the death penalty case of a pedophile and her own molestation at the hands of her grandfather. The stories become entwined, and the results are riveting. Danielle Allen, Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard, recounts the painful history of her beloved cousin, Michael, whose fateful entanglement with gangs, drugs, and the federal prison system eventually led to his murder. Allen’s book, Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A, is a cri de coeur over her cousin’s tragic life and her inability to help him. In After the Eclipse: A Mother’s Murder, a Daughter’s Search, Sarah Perry describes how, as a twelve-year-old, her own life was shattered by her mother’s murder and how she struggled to understand her mother’s life and death. In its starred review, Publishers Weekly calls Perry’s memoir a “fascinating small-town mystery with breathtaking revelations at the end.” This not-to-be missed discussion will be moderated by author and critic Ethan Gilsdorf, whose essay entitled “The Day My Mother Became a Stranger to Me” was included in The Best American Essays for 2016.
