Reading Nobody's Son: A Memoir Book

Nobody's Son: A Memoir

Written By: Mark Slouka
Download Nobody's Son: A Memoir PDF.Born in Czechoslovakia, Mark Slouka’s parents survived the Nazis only to have to escape the Communist purges after the war. Smuggled out of their own country, the newlyweds joined a tide of refugees moving from Innsbruck to Sydney to New York, dragging with them a history of blood and betrayal that their son would be born into.From World War I to the present, Slouka piecesBorn in Czechoslovakia, Mark Slouka’s parents survived the Nazis only to have to escape the Communist purges after the war. Smuggled out of their own country, the newlyweds joined a tide of refugees moving from Innsbruck to Sydney to New York, dragging with them a history of blood and betrayal that their son would be born into.From World War I to the present, Slouka pieces together a remarkable story of refugees and war, displacement and denial—admitting into evidence memories, dreams, stories, the lies we inherit, and the lies we tell—in an attempt to reach his mother, the enigmatic figure at the center of the labyrinth. Her story, the revelation of her life-long burden and the forty-year love affair that might have saved her, shows the way out of the maze.

What They Said About This Nobody's Son: A Memoir Book (Reviews):

Christine Zibas

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Slouka has been writing about his life and that of his family for years as fiction, but as he himself notes in Nobody's Son, Slouka has surely taken one here, laying bare some of the most anguished aspects of his childhood, as well of those of his tormented mother.Truly, this is her story, more than anyone else's. Mark and his father seem to be mere bit players in the drama she unfolds -- recipients on the sledge-hammer-end of her madness. This is also the story of immigrants, of refugees from what was then Czechoslovakia. Torn apart by World War II and abandoned to the Russians like a prize, it was a country his parents never really wanted to leave, nor really had a choice to do otherwise. It was a country that never really left them. This took its toll, and not just on those who experienced these events directly.This is also a story of the paring away of layers of secrets, of reconciling oneself to the past, even if it doesn't always make sense -- or only makes sense if absurdity and madness are your constant companions. It's an unraveling of parents' inner lives, those things that as a child are often beyond our comprehension, but as an adult take on a different color and tone.Despite being so beautifully written, this can be a hard book to read. It's emotional toll on the reader is strong and direct. One can only imagine what the author must have experienced finally coming face to face with some hard truths about his parents and their journey. Yet this is certainly a book worth reading, one that will linger on, with writing so extraordinary you'll find yourself reading some passages over and over for their beauty and heartbreak.Thanks to Good Reads and WW Norton for letting me read this book.

Sharon Huether

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Mark was an only child. His life was shaped by all the relatives in Czechoslovakia during the late 1940's'He loved his mother, but later on he grew to hate her.He had a better relationship with his father. The hatred came through humiliation.The cruelty seen in grandparents.His father took revenge from all the years of belittleing. He wrote a book about his escape from the Nazi's and left his wife out of it. The family left Czechoslovakia when the communists took over, traveled to Austria and then to Australia and then to the US.Marks early memories were of stories in the mother tongue, which always had more meaning. I received this book from Norton Books.

Jill

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David Shields once wrote, "Long live the anti-memoir, built from scraps." Slouka has crafted a brilliant anti-memoir: "I need to say things up front. This memoir—how uncomfortable that word still is for me—isn't a straight story. It's a nest of memories, a tangle of anecdotes, told to me and misheard, misremembered; of regrets and revisions forced by time . . . . In short, it's complex, non-linear, sometimes contradictory, often inconclusive—a bit of a mess. A lot like life, if I get it right."" . . . all memory, all history . . . is the domain of fiction. Try as we may, we can't help but shape what was."" . . . we repeat and repeat the things that hurt us in the hope of making them our own."

Betty

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Mark is writing about his family on both sides who come from Czechoslovakia but it is mostly about his mother who had a very dysfunctional childhood and this was carried over as an adult. Through it all the son tried to be a loving son - in spite of at times not knowing which way to turn.Book is written in a very interesting way - and one that is not easily put down once you start reading.

Carrie

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I won this book from goodreads giveaways. What an honest and heart wrenching memoir. The meandering story telling kept me intrigued.

RJ

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The author has written a straight forward memoir primarily about his relationship with his mother, an unhappy woman who was sexually abused by her father, married one man but was in love and had stolen times with another and longed for her native country of Czechoslovakia. Her descent into true madness starting when Slouka was a young boy led to a love/hate relationship between them and resulted in an analysis of their lives that would make a psychologist proud.The book abounds with descriptions and analogies that could only be written by a very intelligent, probably brilliant man,and some I needed to read several times to understand the underlying meanings. A good but unhappy book.

Carla

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Title: Nobody's Son: August Memoir Author: Mark SloukaRating: 4/5Purchase: Disclaimer: I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. All the opinions in this review are my own.This book was very touching. While at times it was a difficult read due to the content, it was worth it. Recommended: Yes

Barbara Wright

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It was so real, so visceral. It made me think about memories long hidden. His honesty was so disarming. I felt compelled to finish it, even though I could feel his pain jump off the page.

Jacinta Carter

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This memoir about a man's difficult relationship with his parents (especially his mother) was interesting and more than a little heartbreaking. My only complaint is the constant jumping around in the timeline made some parts hard to follow as it was unclear when certain things occurred.

Nissa

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This was a very difficult, but intriguing book to read. This is not your typical memoir. I can tell he put his heart into the book. I won a copy of this book from W.W. Norton Publisher.

Patricia

Writes about Reading Nobody's Son: A Memoir Book
I quite enjoyed reading about Mark Slouka. He had a very troublesome life and a tough family. I recommend highly.

Jacob

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I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.Reading much more like a transcript of a therapy appointment than what I normally expect from a memoir, this book was a very troubled and difficult read. is Mark Slouka's memoir, but also the story of how his parents met and fell apart. His mother's life is one drowned in trauma and addictions and is the focus here, as her descent into madness reshaped the rest of the family member's lives. The conversational tone helps present the psychological issues; particularly as the way memory is shaped and used is key.

Marianne K

Writes about Reading Nobody's Son: A Memoir Book
The author's recollections of his parents growing up, mainly his Mother. At times I felt like I was a peeping Tom peeking through the window unnoticed by the inhabitants while they did all sorts of nasty things. The author had a ambivalent relationship with his Mother making, I would guess, this a painful book to write. The writing is sparse and insightful. I loved how it was all set amongst the history of Czechoslovakia's Communist past, very interesting. I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.