In June the staff bookclub read family stories (because I was the only one willing to suggest a genre so I asked if it would be ok to double up on what I was reading in my other book club, Plum Dragon). At first we were going to read memoirs but we’d already done that, then we were going to read about celebrities but no one was interested. So I said, well the main character in the book I’m reading (who just so happens to be a TV star telling her own story) put a baby up for adoption, how about if we call it a family story genre?
And We Did.
I read Born With Teeth by Katherine Mulgrew. That’s Mary Ryan from Ryan’s Hope to my mom, Captain Janeway from Star Trek to me, and “Red” from Orange Is the New Black for her latest fans. (I like her in OITNB, too.)
I haven’t read a lot of celebrity memoirs, and maybe you need to like a person’s professional work to care about their “real” life, but I was extremely pleased with this title. The writing itself wasn’t anything to write home about (sorry, everybody gets compared to Harper Lee for a while since I finished Watchmen), but Mulgrew is a strong, independent, no compromising woman and I found a lot to admire.
I’ll get it out of the way and admit to being a Trekker. I’ve watched the seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager through a dozen times or more and I found Mulgrew inspirational in the role. She was a complex character I could trust. I always knew Captain Janeway would do the right thing. She was brave, admirable, fiercely loyal and protective of her crew, and always on an exciting mission where she could be counted on to be lucky, wise, brave or clever depending on the storyline. I loved it; I felt comforted watching her, safe in the arms of her competent and mature leadership. No, I am not kidding. Like, I am not kidding at all.
I didn’t spend a lot of time wondering what Mulgrew was like in real life but it turns out she’s a lot like Captain Janeway (minus the epalauts). Her life so far has been romantic, dramatic, and interesting. She’s exceptionally independent, keeping her own counsel and relying on her own inner strength. She’s a great role model with a good story to tell. If you get the chance, pick up a copy. I recommend it.
Plum Librarian LLC 