A Living Remedy
by Nicole Chung
“A Living Remedy: A Memoir” by Nicole Chung is a searing exploration of family, class, and grief. In this poignant memoir, Nicole delves into her experiences as an adoptee, her relationship with her adoptive parents, and the lives she’s lost. Here are some key points about the book:
Background:
- Nicole Chung was adopted by white parents and grew up in an isolated rural town in Oregon.
- She attended a private university on the East Coast, where she found community and a path to the life she longed for.
Family Bonds and Hardship:
- The book examines the enduring strength of family bonds in the face of hardship and tragedy.
- Nicole grapples with guilt and grief after her father’s death, knowing that years of precarity and lack of access to healthcare contributed to his early demise.
- Less than a year later, her beloved mother is diagnosed with cancer, and the physical distance between them becomes insurmountable due to COVID-19.
Inequalities in American Society:
- Nicole sheds light on some of the most persistent and grievous inequalities in American society.
- She reflects on the specific challenges faced by middle-class families, where paychecks stretch to the end of the week, health insurance is lacking, and safety nets are scarce.
Eloquent Writing:
- Nicole Chung’s eloquent writing captures the complexities of grief and the search for understanding.
- She invites readers to explore the jagged boundaries of loss and learn to see it as something new.
Overall, “A Living Remedy” is a powerful memoir that resonates with anyone who has faced loss, grappled with family dynamics, or navigated the complexities of life. It offers a poignant perspective on the human experience and the resilience of family bonds.
Review
“A Living Remedy: A Memoir” by Nicole Chung is a powerful and poignant exploration of family, class, and grief. Let me share some details about this book:
- Genre: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography
- Goodreads Rating: 4.04 (4,864 ratings)
- Awards and Nominations: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Memoir & Autobiography (2023)
- Publication Date: April 4, 2023
- Page Count: 256 pages
- Publisher: Ecco/HarperCollins
Summary: Nicole Chung, the bestselling author of All You Can Ever Know, delves into her own life in A Living Remedy. As an adopted daughter, she grapples with the complexities of family bonds, the lives her adoptive parents led, and the life she forged as an adult. The middle-class world she begins to raise a family in looks different from the one she thought she grew up in, where paychecks barely stretch to the end of the week, health insurance is often lacking, and safety nets are scarce.
When her father dies at only sixty-seven due to diabetes and kidney disease, Nicole feels deep grief and rage, knowing that years of precarity and lack of access to healthcare contributed to his early death. Less than a year later, her beloved mother is diagnosed with cancer, and the physical distance between them becomes insurmountable as COVID-19 descends upon the world.
A Living Remedy explores enduring family bonds in the face of hardship and tragedy, shedding light on persistent inequalities in American society. It’s a searing memoir that confronts uncomfortable truths and invites readers to reflect on their own lives and connections.
Review Excerpts:
- Kirkus Reviews: “As Chung seeks a way to grieve without self-punishment, this open-hearted, unflinching account will be a boon to others.”
- Publishers Weekly: “Powerfully rendered scenes illuminate this quiet polemic against a dysfunctional healthcare system, hidden poverty, and racism.”
- Ashley Hajimirsadeghi: “It’s a lovely memoir… something most people should be able to pick up and empathize with while they’re reading.”
This memoir provides an important record of the emotional cost of the pandemic and underscores the strength of family connections. Nicole Chung’s writing is gutting yet clear-eyed, making A Living Remedy a compelling read.
If you’re interested in exploring family dynamics, social inequalities, and personal resilience, I recommend adding A Living Remedy to your reading list!
Analysis
“A Living Remedy: A Memoir” by Nicole Chung is a powerful and searing exploration of family, class, and grief. In this memoir, Chung delves into her own experiences as an adopted daughter, grappling with the lives her adoptive parents led, the life she forged as an adult, and the lives she’s lost.
Here are some key points about the book:
Background and Context:
- Nicole Chung grew up in rural Oregon as the Korean daughter of White parents. She was one of the only Asians in her area, a situation she previously described in her poignant debut memoir, “All You Can Ever Know”.
- Her urge to confront troubling truths continues in this second book, where she examines and expiates the vexing circumstances of her parents’ deaths.
- The memoir delves into the enduring strength of family bonds in the face of hardship and tragedy.
- Chung grapples with the guilt of leaving hardship behind while being unable to bring others with her. She reflects on the specific, hollow guilt that comes from not being able to help loved ones as much as she hoped.
- The book sheds light on some of the most persistent and grievous inequalities in American society, including issues related to healthcare access and financial disparities.
- Chung’s father died at only sixty-seven due to diabetes and kidney disease. She feels deep grief and rage, knowing that years of precarity and lack of access to healthcare contributed to his early death.
- Less than a year later, her beloved mother is diagnosed with cancer, and the physical distance between them becomes insurmountable due to COVID-19.
- Chung’s open-hearted and unflinching account provides an important record of the emotional cost of the pandemic.
- The memoir underlines the strength of her connection to both her adoptive parents and the birth-family relatives she found.
- Chung seeks a way to grieve without self-punishment, making this book a boon to others who have faced similar challenges.
Themes and Exploration:
Parental Deaths and Grief:
Writing Style and Impact:
In summary, “A Living Remedy: A Memoir” is a poignant exploration of family, loss, and the complexities of navigating life’s inequities. Nicole Chung’s writing invites readers to reflect on their own experiences and the enduring bonds that tie us together, even across distances and hardships.
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