The Middle Place at the surface was a memoir about Kelly Corrigan’s fight against breast cancer. Kelly approached her cancer with every ounce of fight in her being, determined to survive it, beat it and scare it away. When her father was diagnosed with bladder cancer during Kelly’s treatment, she realized that she couldn’t fight her father’s cancer too. In the end, this memoir was so much more about fighting – it was about living, loving and cherishing every moment with people who enter your lives.

Kelly’s descriptions of her father, affectionately called “Greenie,” were charming and humorous. Greenie was one-of-a-kind – a real Irish guy who put faith in God and in a firm handshake. His attitude was infectious. Thankfully, Kelly was plucky like her father, and between the two of them, cancer had tough opponents.

I admire Kelly for revealing so much about herself to her readers. She was far from perfect. She was selfish about the love of her father. She was jealous of the adoration her husband felt for his parents. Her kids got on her nerves – as did her brothers, friends and acquaintances. She’s like me. And probably like you too.

What resonated with me about this book was the emotional division one can feel between aging parents and raising children. I am at this point in my life. I am watching my traditionally agile and independent parents become less so – all while battling my sons about their homework, schlepping kids to practice and trying to keep my professional edge. For certain, The Middle Place is not an easy place.

Are you in The Middle Place? Then, I would highly recommend this memoir to you. The good thing about being in the middle, despite its flaws, is that you’re always surrounded by generations of people who love you. Thank God for that. ( )

The Middle Place could have easily been an uplifting story of surviving cancer; it would have been popular, inspirational, and I probably would have liked it. But the memoir was so much more. What happened to Corrigan was rare-her father got cancer while she was in treatment for breast cancer-yet so strikingly true. But Corrigan does not start with the news of her cancer; she first builds a bond with her reader. She shares funny, relatable, warm stories from her childhood. Then as she switches back and forth between her present life and struggle with cancer, she flashes back to her childhood, continuing to make the connection with the reader.
Corrigan is stuck in this "middle place." She is married and has kids, yet she whenever something bad happens all she wants to do is call home and speak with her parents. Corrigan reminds the readers to stay a son or daughter for as long as you can because life can, and will, go on in our "middle place."
The memoir created by Corrigan's successful marriage of humor and pain, life and death, her "new" family and her "old" is a wonderful one. In a quick read-I devoured this book-Corrigan teaches so much about life, family, love and death. ( )

funny, interesting and full of everyday life ( )

This book resonates with my Catholic childhood and my own experience of mothering. Kelly Corrigan writes with flair and humor, at the same time conveying her courageous response to a devastating diagnosis ( )

The Middle Place

This summer I read a memoir, The Middle Place, by Kelly Corrigan. It was about Kelly Corrigan’s battle with cancer, as well as a story about her life and family. Coming from her own point of view, I was able to understand clearly what she was going through, and how she felt throughout the book. I thought the point of view being in first person was perfect, because she was able to also talk about different time periods in her life, from a teenager to adulthood. This put a really cool twist on the story, and created a strong personal effect in the book.
I found myself enjoying this book from the very first page, and finished it in two days. I devoured this book because it was a true story about a serious topic, but was still funny. It was an inspirational book as well because it was amazing how positive Corrigan would stay about cancer, and how selfless she became when her father was diagnosed with cancer as well. I loved how the book would change time periods because learning about her life in the past, and up to the point when she first learned about cancer, created a perfect combination of information to really understand what she was going through, and how she got there as a person. I felt that the author was a strong writer because of the everyday details she described throughout the book, making it understandable and relatable. I liked how she hooked me with the start of each chapter and each new idea because it could be in present day or in the past. Although I enjoyed most of the book, I didn’t like how the ending of the book wasn’t memorable, and it seemed to end too abruptly. I wanted to learn more after it ended. Overall, with Corrigan’s mixture of humor, and real life tragedies, she created a realistic book that I didn’t want to put down.
I loved this story because it was honest, and always enjoyable, even though it was about a tough subject. The message she portrayed throughout the book was to live happy and in the moment, to be thankful for what you have at all times, as well as creating an overall message about growing up. This is a great book because some people can relate to it if they have been through tragedies. It was an interesting story to read, and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to be moved by a compelling story.