Origins of the Universe and What It All Means: A Memoir
Journals and memoirs
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Summary
In her debut memoir, Carole Firstman traces her strained relationship with her eccentric and distant father, a gifted biology professor whose research on scorpions may have contributed to the evolutionary theories of Stephen Jay Gould. Through unexpected forms-from footnotes and… diagrams to startling love letters and Saturday morning cartoons-Firstman struggles to reconnect with her estranged father and redefine herself as both a grown woman and a daughter.Part travel narrative, part cultural commentary, this genre-bending memoir contemplates the nature of parent-child relationships, the evolution of life on Earth, and origins both physical and metaphysical. Excerpts from this work have appeared as Notable Essays in several Best American Essays collections.