Sunday, April 3, 2011

Dandelion

I am the kind of person who has stacks of books stashed all around the house, particularly the bed. I like to read many different books at one time and I jump from one to the other depending on my mood. *wink*

I have only two rules: 1). I only read non-fiction and, 2). I donate each book upon completion unless it is a must-have, reference manual.

Currently, I have about 14 books in rotation (shameful!), but there is one that I simply could not put down until I read it cover to cover: Dandelion by Catherine James.

Dandelion  is a memoir of the 1960s and 70s. That pioneering time that Ms. James certainly lived and experienced to the fullest, mainly due to amazing serendipity!

 From Catherine James official Website: www.cate11.com/
From Hollywood to Greenwich Village to England to Connecticut and back to California, this story is packed with first hand accounts of a person who knew (and was romanced by) many of the legends: Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jackson Browne, Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix, Roger Daltrey, Denny Laine .... the list goes on and on.

I loved the juicy tidbits, but Ms. James (not unlike Patti Boyd), to her considerable credit, never stoops to the dark underbelly of "kiss and tell" in a sordid, blaming way. That is an art that few authors manage when writing a memoir. This lady (again, like Patti Boyd), tells her story and always adheres to the high road, while managing to transport the reader back to a time when the world seemed, well, sweeter.

I was saddened and a bit horrified by the author's abusive childhood (shudder). What that child endured!

The book shines with the aftermath of this woman's pioneering courage and, yes, FREE SPIRIT.

Catherine James absolutely inspired me with her practical sense, her unwavering faith in the goodness of the Universe and her unfaltering courage.

My final impression upon completion of Dandelion  was that our perceived limitations are
blessings in disguise.