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Mostly True : A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball
 | Mostly True : A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball O'Neill, Molly Date: 25 April, 2006 — $16.50 — Book Rating: |
Molly O'Neill, food writer and raconteur, writes about her life with her large family and growing up in Columbus, Ohio. The only girl in a family of five boys, Molly is the daughter of quite possibly the biggest characters to come out of the Midwest. Her father married her six-foot tall mother because he figured that her physical nature could help supply him with boys big enough to fill a baseball team. Her mother fluctuated between being a feminist and wanting her daughter to become a cheerleader and marry a doctor. Her childhood was spent taking a National Lampoon style family vacation to Nebraska, simultaneously being disgusted with and adoring her younger brothers, and begrudgingly attending little league games. (One memorable scene shows Molly reading The Catcher in the Rye in the bleachers while a parent remarks, "What other fourteen-year-old would care enough about her brother's interest to read a book about a catcher?"). Her mother even reads her journal. In a funny twist, however, Molly makes up outrageous stories in her stories about make believe boyfriends and drug use. When she starts to write about her real life in her diary, her mother finally confronts her, saying, "Molly, what's happened to you? You used to be so interesting! You used to be fun!" Although she moves to Massachusetts, and later, New York to become a chef and later a food critic, her brothers are never far from her life. Robert and Kevin learn to cook from her, and live in New York and Provincetown, for a while. Paul, the youngest, eventually moves to New York, as well, not to follow his sister but to play right field for the New York Yankees, thus fulfilling one/ninth of that baseball team his father wanted to field. Although she doesn't always have much in common with her family (she's a Democrat, and a-religious, brother Paul is a Republican and has found God), she retains a bond with them, even when they drive her crazy.
I was extremely hesitant to read this book. While Alex Rodriguez was still playing in Seattle, Paul O'Neill was the Yankee that we Red Sox fans loved to hate. I was turned off to reading anything that featured him as a character. I'm glad that I changed my mind. Molly O'Neill is a fun writer who never takes herself too seriously. Her stories about her family are heartwarming without ever becoming overly sentimental. Even serious moments, such as attending a Yankees game shortly after September 11, are dealt with humor. Unlike her fellow food writer, Ruth Reichl who sounds so self important in her memoirs, Molly is an extremely appealing protagonist.
This book is a good recommendation for older teens who like to read memoirs or biographies. Most of the episodes take place during the author's childhood and teen years. There are certiainly adolescents who could relate to dealing with obnoxious siblings, competing for fathers' attention, and having mothers read their diaries. Die hard Yankees fans <shudder>, looking for a lot of Paul O'Neill will probably be disappointed and would be better served reading Buster Olney's The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty. Those just wanting a glimpse of the legendary player's roots, however, or for those who need a good laugh, this book is pure entertainment.
