Primates of Park Avenue: A Memoir

Mothers. A memoir presents readers with some particular challenges. Is the writer an individual whose reflections about life are likely to interest me? Is the writing of such good quality that I will be delighted? Is this a life so similar to or so different from mine that I will be intrigued? Before a reader selects Wednesday Martin’s book titled, Primates of Park Avenue: A Memoir, consider those questions. Martin writes about her experience as an outsider trying to belong to an insular community on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She uses her background in anthropology to present the memoir as if she were reporting on her fieldwork as a participant-observer in a different culture. At times her writing is funny and at other times it can become a bit tedious. Readers who have read anthropological field reports will fjnd special delight in those inclusions in this book. For me, the memoir turned my heart toward Martin when she presented a personal tragic story and how that brought out the best in the members of the community. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Primates of Park Avenue from amazon.com.