I try on other identities as well – Baby Boomer, hippy, kibbutznik, lefty, rebel – seeking an authentic self. He represents someone wholly other from my father, a kind of talisman reflecting my desire to belong to the dominant culture. I examine this, most notably, in three separate encounters with the overtly Christian, 1960s pop-music icon Pat Boone. The theme revolves around what happens to a girl who grows up lacking a true spiritual and religious identity. My new memoir is The Pat Boone Fan Club: My Life as a White Anglo-Saxon Jew, which explores my conflicted feelings toward Judaism and my efforts to pass as Christian – refuge from an abusive Jewish father. I have followed her work for years – particularly her writings on memoir – and so I am beyond honored to have her here on the blog today. She was part of a coterie of creative nonfiction writers that I saw everywhere, and she was one of few women in that small club. I was probably introduced to Sue William Silverman’s work when I was in grad school.
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