A World of Light (Hardcover)

by Floyd Skloot (Author) "Clarence is a wanderer..." (more)
Key Phrases: Normal Page, Turning Up the Gravity, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In 1988, at the age of 41, Skloot caught a virus that severely damaged his brain. He lost most cognitive abilities and his mobility was also impaired. Skloot's last book, In the Shadow of Memory, left off with his coming to terms with his new condition; here he works on reconstructing his memory and mental abilities and reconnecting with the world. Skloot's Alzheimer's afflicted mother is a major part of his journey; only now does he sense a connection to the placid woman who was once the frustrated, volatile, abusive parent he'd always hoped to escape. Their link is music: although she can't recall who he is, she recalls the show tunes she always loved. "We can approximate the give and take of conversation through song," Skloot writes. "We have the rhythm of conversation, if not the content. . . .We are holding on to the melody of contact." Each of Skloot's varied experiences is the subject of another essay, and some are stronger than others. But the book is more than a collection of the personal memories he so doggedly seeks; it also functions as a reflection about cognition, literature and writing, music, growing up and simple living. The author's immense effort in putting back together his mental and physical life is at turns funny, chilling and inspiring. He goes beyond merely making sense of his condition by showing how reaching outward can heal one's inner damage.
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From Bookmarks Magazine
The current memoir vogue would have Skloot belaboring the tortures he endured at the hands of his mother, all piled upon more hand-wringing, blame, and navel-gazing through dilated pupils. Though his understated approach has probably consigned him to a university press (a place where he’s comfortable; he’s an accomplished poet after all), the critics that bother to take notice of this small book find it, like his first essay collection In the Shadow of Memory (**** Sept/Oct 2003), a masterful effort. Words like "nourishing" and "grace" paint a fair picture of reviewers’ tones; they respect his accomplishment as much as they respect the effort that must have gone into creating it. It makes one believe that, if we only remembered what was important, life might be much more rewarding.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803243189
• ISBN-13: 978-0803243187
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,275,633 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars More of the same from Skloot!, December 17, 2007

By	Jodi-Hummingbird - See all my reviews

I really enjoyed Skloot's previous two collections of writings, and I enjoyed this one too.

This one is very different to the other two though as Skloot barely mentions his illness at all in this one.

I came to know (and love) Skloot's writing because I could relate to his experiences with having a severe neurological illness. He writes so eloquently about all the symptoms and describes many of them so well, better than I've ever read anywhere else; it was like reading my own diary written by someone else at times! Wonderful writing.

But I also came to just like reading what Skloot had to say when it wasn't about his illness too. So I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed either of his previous books - just don't buy it if you're only after more insights and discussions of his illness because they just aren't there!