Mariel Hemingway to share memoirs of overcoming her famed family's demons
Mariel Hemingway grew up with pressures well beyond the glitz and glamour of fame that came with being a member of one of America's most famous families. Generations of Hemingways were haunted by depression, addiction and suicide.
Now, the granddaughter of famed author Ernest Hemingway tells all in her brutally honest memoir, "Out Came the Sun," and her teen-friendly edition, "Invisible Girl." She will talk about her books and surviving her family's dark past at 7 p.m. Monday, May 18, at Anderson's Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville.
Priority numbers to secure a place in the book signing line are available with the purchase of one of the featured books from Anderson's or online at www.andersonsbookshop.com. For details, call (630) 355-2665.
"Out Came the Sun" is a moving, compelling memoir about growing up and escaping the tragic legacy of mental illness, suicide, addiction and depression in the Hemingway family.
"She opens her eyes. The room is dark. She hears yelling, smashed plates, and wishes it was all a terrible dream. But it isn't. This is what it was like growing up as a Hemingway."
Hemingway, an Academy Award-nominated actress and mental health icon, shares in candid detail the story of her troubled childhood. Born just a few months after her grandfather, Ernest Hemingway, committed suicide, it was Hemingway's mission as a girl to escape the desperate cycles of severe mental health issues that had plagued generations of her family.
Surrounded by alcoholism (both parents), depression (her sister Margaux), suicide (her grandfather and four other members of her family), schizophrenia (her sister Muffet), and cancer (mother), it was all the young Mariel could do to keep her head.
In a compassionate voice she reveals her painful struggle to stay sane as the youngest child in her family, and how she coped with the chaos by becoming obsessive and compulsive about her food, schedule and organization.
The twisted legacy of her family has never quite let go of Hemingway, but in this memoir she opens up about her claustrophobic marriage, her acting career, and turning to spiritual healers and charlatans for solace.
Ultimately "Out Came the Sun" is a story of triumph as she learns to overcome her family's demons and develops love and deep compassion for her lost loved ones.
Hemingway's teen book, "Invisible Girl," tells what it is like to be a teen with depressed addicts for parents, a mentally ill sister, and a grandfather who killed himself. She writes as her teen self to share her pain, heartache, and coping strategies with young readers.
Readers who are sharing a similar painful childhood will see their lives and questions reflected on the pages of her diary, and might be inspired to start their own diary to channel their pain. Her book lets them know there is light at the end of the tunnel.