When I finished my solo, Mr. Martin beamed at me. I had played it flawlessly. After the concert, kids slapped me on the back and parents said I came close to stealing the show. I was happy but distracted.
Kids from alcoholic homes are lousy accountants. They lose track of the number of times they get let down, embarrassed or left to make sense of life on their own. But every so often a minor injury comes along – like a missed concert – and it tips over the box in which the disproportionate number of disappointments those kids have yet to acknowledge or grieve are found.
And so I cried.
I cried for every concert and play my parents, especially my father, hadn’t seen. I cried for every pounding I’d taken front the kids at school that I hadn’t even bothered to report to anyone. I cried for the father who barely knew I played an instrument and certainly had no idea I was the first chair in the school band. I cried so hard I thought my throat was wringing itself out like a dish towel. (92-93)
Memoir’s for me can go either way. I either love them or hate them, generally no middle ground. Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me A memoir of sorts falls into the love it category. Who wouldn’t pick up this book based on the title? Secondly, I love the cover, it really helped to draw me in as it was an actual photo from the past, a two year old waving from an old row boat. Now I feel I must warn you that if your like me and expected to hear a little bit of the CIA’s secrets or that you would become privy to hearing about how Ian’s dad nearly escapes being captured by an enemy, than you will be surprised. My Father, the CIA, and Me A memoir of sorts is actually more about growing up with a father who helped out the CIA but in reality was actually an alcoholic who was absent for most of Ian’s young life.
Ian paints the the picture in the first chapter of how the picture on the cover reached out to him. The two year old on the front wasn’t trying to get the attention of the person taking the photo but of the adult Ian. Ian was well aware from the beginning that this would be a journey he knew wouldn’t be easy. Join Ian on his journey of his dad’s troubles with alcohol, Ian’s substance abuse troubles, pain, acceptance and lastly his salvation. While this memoir was not at all what I was expecting it is one that will sit on my shelves to be read again later. My Father, the CIA, and Me A memoir of sorts is one that will pull on heart strings and through the style of the author I was pulled into the story and could feel his pain in my own heart.
Ian Morgan Cron is an author, speaker, Episcopal priest, psychotherapist, and retreat guide.
To introduce others to St. Francis of Assisi, he authored Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale. His literary debut received accolades from The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Fr Richard Rohr, Phyllis Tickle, Marcus Borg, Brian McLaren, and artist Makoto Fujimura.
You can purchase Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me A memoir of sorts at a variety of retailers including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
