Marked for Life: A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: Port Wine Stained
Review: Who would imagine that a memoir about a rare form of birthmark commonly referred to as a "port wine" mark would be impossible to put down? Joie Davidow's lover during college chose her over a "certified genius" girlfriend from his hometown. Joie Davidow may not be "certified," but she certainly demonstrates creative genius. In writing about the stigma of growing up with a dark purple "handprint" over half her face, Ms. Davidow also manages to mirror the larger "print" of civilization and its consideration of who passes the "test" for perfection. For example, Ms. Davidow, then a young teen who hates being asked, "What happened to you?" asks an elderly woman why she has a number tatooed onto her arm. The book tells about growing up Jewish in a small mostly non-Jewish town where one isn't to make a "big deal" over anything, including the purple mark; what this means is that she is not to show her feelings about anything. When she first falls in love, her father makes that a very big deal. He (...) stops speaking to his young and rather innocent daughter (other than to insult her), another "mark for life" in terms of her relationships with men. Her training as a singer is also fascinating. If all of this sounds rather heavy and intense, the reader should know that Ms. Davidow has a wonderful and subtle sense of humor. Her writing sings.