Vigil
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Vigil
University of Chicago Press, 1997
Available at 2 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This is a chronicle of the last four years in the life of the author's sister, Beth. Shapiro reveals fragments of the family's personal history, bringing to life a troubled and poignant past. A visit from their brother David triggers the memory of a searing betrayal; a visit from their parents recalls bitter quarrels over Beth's radical politics; a visit from Beth's black husband brings the painful memory of their wedding and her parents' refusal to attend. These recollections evoke the unresolved, deeply disturbing issues which kept the Shapiro family estranged, making the reconciliation that Beth's death brings all the more extraordinary. Shapiro gives an account of their responses - horror, relief, impatience, exhaustion, exhilaration, projection, fear, self-criticism and a sense of self-fulfillment - in the presence of the dying. Concluding with a selection of poems, the author affirms the link between creativity and healing; human connection has the power to redeem even the most painful of human experiences.
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