Teaching Maggie: Letters on Life, Writing, and the Virtues of Solid Food [Hardcover]

Lee Reilly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000

On a crisp night at the height of autumn, Lee Reilly answered a phone call, leapt into her car, and raced along the dark midwestern highways, desperate to reach her former college roommate who was in labor with her first child. The next day Maggie was born, and Lee was asked to stand as her godmother. Thirty-eight years old, unmarried, and without children, Lee wondered what she could offer this precious little girl from her home nearly 250 miles away. Wisdom, she decided; answers to those key issues that imbue the lives of women today. Thus, Lee began composing letters to her only goddaughter, Maggie.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After witnessing the birth of her goddaughterAthe child of the woman who was her Stanford roommate in the early 1970sAReilly immediately began to write the letters in this collection, which span Maggie's first three years of life. Having earned a master's degree in literature (which she deems one of her "worst mistakes in life"), Reilly conveys the balanced vision of a wise, well-read Midwestern woman at midlife in lovely prose inflected with literary allusions and her liberal politics. Clearly intended to be read by a much-older Maggie, Reilly's musings attempt to "explain, describe, debunk, decry, and celebrate" the world the child has so recently entered. Food, sleep, religion, holiday traditions, rebellion, taxes, fame, feminism and insects are treated with good sense and good humor. Tackling some stickier issues, Reilly attempts to explain the difference between Democrats and Republicans, and between "family values" and "valuing families," revealing her insights as well as her honest annoyance and confusion over the terms. She laments "the decline of thinking," and describes the writing life (which she does not recommend). Despite her promise not to advise, she does aim to influence; on "critical moral issues," Reilly offers a particularly lucid description of gradations of wrongdoing and their correct responses. In two entries that Maggie may one day find the most interesting and valuable of all, Reilly writes about the child's mother and grandfather as she personally knows them. Although Reilly's voice is pleasant and her insights are thoughtful, this volume ends abruptly, with Maggie still so young that it feels incomplete, begging future installments. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Adults hope that their experiences will help their children, and with these pithy letters Reilly conveys her affection for her godchild and the knowledge she wishes to impart to a younger generation. As a woman in her thirties with no children of her own, she sees her relationship with Maggie as a chance to make an impact on the future. Incisive and witty, she relates tales from her own childhood in the hope that Maggie will learn from them and that they will serve as a guide. Her topics range from the everyday, such as sleep and why we need it, to complex issues of American life, such as the difference between Republicans and Democrats. What Reilly hopes her advice reveals is her belief that there is beauty in our frustrating and often-contradictory world, and ultimately she addresses adults as well as children, proving that wisdom appeals to all ages and that the art of letter writing is alive and well. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Ruminator Books; 1 edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886913366
• ISBN-13: 978-1886913363
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,309,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a book for everyone who has ever loved a child, July 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Teaching Maggie: Letters on Life, Writing, and the Virtues of Solid Food (Hardcover)

How great to find a book that addresses the issues that arise once your life becomes entwined with that of a child. It is always clever, sometimes satirical, sometimes poignant as it addresses a wide range of topics. In one letter, Reilly manages to explain how a Democrat is different from a Republican using a military-issued food parcel as a demo; in another she describes the absurd clutter and confusion involved in buying a first birthday gift. In another, the bittersweetness of a toddler dance class somehow elucidates what it means to be a part of humanity without losing one's own intrinsic individuality.

Reilly's parting wish for her goddaughter--to remember her own version of herself is truly beautiful--. "For in that free dance we are who we are inextricably at the very same moment that we're part of something else, that deeply human expression and that otherworldly thing--the dance itself." This is a book for everyone who's ever loved a child and I hope that means it's for everyone.

5.0 out of 5 stars Godmothering 101, May 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Teaching Maggie: Letters on Life, Writing, and the Virtues of Solid Food (Hardcover)

See for yourself what a wonderful adventure Godmothering can be! This book shows that even those of us without children can have important, fulfilling relationships with children. Or, as Reilly, more eloquently states it "A conscious life without children is a life spent creating the world for other people's children." I love that. There are many more gems to be found but I urge you to seek them out for yourself. Read this book and enjoy!