Occasional Magic

January 15, 2019
Heartfelt stories bear eloquent witness to hopes, dreams, and triumphs.Storytelling--in theaters, on a podcast, and on a weekly public radio show--is the mission of the nonprofit organization The Moth. From the thousands of stories shared since its founding in 1997, editor Burns (The Moth Presents All These Wonders, 2017, etc.), the organization's artistic director, offers selections from an international roster of presenters. Some storytellers may be familiar to readers: Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash reflects on feeling anxious and disoriented after moving to New York with her children after her divorce. On a similar theme, New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik considers how his daughter's imaginary friend taught him what he really wanted from living in Manhattan. Psychologist and memoirist Andrew Solomon writes about starting his own "post-nuclear family" with his husband despite "complicated and difficult and elaborate circumstances." Emmy-winning performer Faith Salie relates her obsessive search for the perfect dress to wear to divorce court. Most voices are new, imparting intimate, moving anecdotes about life, love, friendship, parenthood, and identity. Several presenters disclose the tensions over coming out as gay, dealing with poverty and homelessness, or confronting others' perceptions of oneself as different. Undergraduate Aleeza Kazmi, of Afghan and Pakistani heritage, proclaims that she has "worked so hard to love the skin I'm in, and nothing anyone says can take that away from me." Activist Barbara Collins Bowie recalls growing up in Mississippi during Jim Crow, when her mother's health crisis made her realize that the civil rights movement was "a fight for life and death." Mary Theresa Archbold, who stealthily hid her prosthetic arm from friends and roommates, writes of the challenges of being a one-armed mother of an infant. British polar explorer Ann Daniels, mother of triplets, risked her life in defiantly trekking to the North and South Poles. Vietnamese engineer Jason Trieu tells the wrenching story of escaping from South Vietnam two weeks before the region fell to the North, one of several tales of resilience and determination in the face of terror.Captivating, artfully wrought tales.

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Starred review from March 1, 2019

More a collection of inspirational stories than a self-help manual, this volume compiles pieces chosen by the staff of the popular podcast the Moth that portray moments of beauty and wonder, often stumbled upon, when a truth is discovered that reveals something about one's life. All of the tales were told at live events in which the authors shared personal and challenging experiences that helped them find a path forward. Readers hear from both well-known authors such as Adam Gopnik, Meg Wolitzer, and Andrew Solomon, and individuals across the globe. In one entry, a young girl living in a shelter recounts a week at summer camp; in another, a mother with a prosthetic arm describes bathing her baby for the first time. Full of emotion, humor, and vulnerability, these stories skillfully illustrate and evoke empathy for the human condition. VERDICT Highly recommended for individuals and all libraries.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2019
There's something essentially human and intimate about sharing stories. Storytelling group The Moth (All These Wonders, 2017) has a well-earned reputation built on its live events and a radio show doing just that. Occasional Magic is its third group of live stories adapted to print, and the selections take the reader on a roller coaster of raw emotion as the famous and the unknown alike give true accounts of various life challenges. Stories about writing haiku in defiance of angry drivers ( Honku ), an unrequited crush on a man who isn't who he seems, and an unlikely astronaut are among the many small jewels here. Self-image and prosthetic limbs nestle next to family tragedy set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, a best friend with a haunted freezer jostles in beside a preschooler with an unconventional imaginary friend?each story is as captivating as the one before it. If The Moth's live events are full of people gently holding their beating hearts up to the mic in front of a breathless audience, these written adaptations definitely do such sacrifices justice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)