Reviewer: linda
“The Woman at the Washington Zoo: Writings on Politics, Family, And Fate” by Marjorie Williams, Timothy Noah
One quick and upfront warning: the author died from cancer. There, now that the disclaimer is done, we can move on.
The author’s husband had gathered many of her writings into three sections in the book. The first section is a series of biography-type articles of politicians, and my least favorite section. I think you really have to like to read about politicians to enjoy most of it (although the article on the Clinton/Gore relationship was fascinating). The second section are what I think of as “tidbit” articles, that is miscellaneous interesting short articles. The third section are the writings concerning the author’s illness. In this section, the author’s strengths and weaknesses shine, and we learn to like her as a person. Much to my surprise, this section didn’t make me cry, although it is terribly said to lose someone with so much talent.
I enjoyed this book, mostly for the second and, thankfully short, third section. I liked reading the collection, though, as it gave depth to the author’s talent and development. Most of all, the author’s grace as a human being appeared in the third and final section.
