Freedman Knows “Who She Was”
In his book, Who She Was, Samuel Freedman successfully creates his mother, Eleanor, in an attempt to discover who she was when she was younger and single, the world she lived in and her interaction with this world.
The creation of the book, undoubtedly, stemmed from personal desires. In his talk at Baruch, Freedman said, “This was my act of penance…I was trying to reconcile myself with her [his mother].” It is clear that Freedman’s main objective was to get to know the mother that he had lost the chance to know. He also said that he felt that creating this book was the only way to redeem himself as Eleanor’s son. Freedman’s avoidance of his mother, and lack of interest he had about her life before added to the curiosity that edged him to write his book. He felt “remorse” and guilt” which he not only illustrates in the prologue of his book, but in the talk as well.
“Somebody doesn’t have to be famous to be important.” Freedman stated. He continued by saying, when breaking down anyone’s life, it comes down to the “periodic table of human nature.” Basically all lives ultimately have the same traits, be it love, envy, hate, or yearning. These qualities in people influence them into becoming themselves. Everyone is a significant person. Still, Freedman sticks to the facts so as not to romanticize the person he is writing about. He does not try to make a “hallmark card.” He writes honestly and realistically. This is who his mother was, not what he or anyone else wanted her to be.
A challenge that Freedman acknowledged when writing this book was “being willing to surrender your own memories and feelings when your realize what happened was not true.” This quality in Freedman truly distinguishes his book from typical memoirs. “Who She Was,” is a memoir, but does not carry lavish dramatic tones of one. Freedman’s approach and attention to details aid in the separation of the “head and heart.” This keeps the memoir less emotional than others, which are usually heightened with feelings of the author. According to Freedman, he tried his best to keep the book “very, very close to the truth.” There is no doubt that emotions played a huge role in the creation of the book, but Freedman channels the emotions effectively so as not to detract from the truth of the events yet still adding a distinguished quality missing from a simple biography.
Near the end of his session, Freedman said, “Ultimately you are writing for yourself.” Meaning, that the author writes the book to satisfy some personal desire in some way. Such is the case with his book. “In a broader sense,” Freedman said, “ I got to know her [his mother].” That was one of the main purposes of the book. It is true that this book illustrates to every reader who Eleanor was, but, more importantly, it displayed to Freedom Who She Was.