The era of reality TV has made me a little too cynical. As I read I found myself arguing with Devin - you can't really remember your first day at daycare that clearly. You weren't really thinking those thoughts in elementary school.

But then I found myself talking about this book to anyone and everyone. One friend made me realize that memories can be vivid at a very young age when they have great impact - like feeling truly loved for the first time. Another conversation made me realize that my harshness towards this memoir was completely contrary to my praise for A Million Little Pieces. A memoir can be so much more than a biography with the assistance of hindsight providing the insight to earlier memories. And one more conversation made me realize how my students today have no concept of a world where bi-racial marriage could have been illegal.

So I didn't love this book as I was reading, but it has had the impact every great book should - it has made me think and question the world we live in