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I Am Ruth Lichtenstein, Arnstein, Paddock, Blohm, Boylan, Dunkinson and This Is My Story: Ruthie
Ruth Eda Dunkinson
Reviewed by: Kat Kennedy, The US Review of Books
“Too soon the vitality of youth will fade, and we will recollect our days of glory.”
In this memoir, the author reflects on the wonderful adventures of her eighty-plus years. In “Part One” of the book, she tells the story of her ancestors and their plight to reach America from Germany during Hitler’s reign of terror. In this section, the author examines her early childhood, her parents’ divorce, and her relationship with her mother and stepfather. “Part Two” tells of her first love, Jim, and their adventures sailing around the Caribbean and running a charter fishing business. It also includes Jim’s infidelity, Ruth’s unexpected pregnancy, Jim’s desertion, and the birth of their son, Jerry. “Part Three” continues her life story with tales of her three subsequent marriages. The first to Roger Blohm gave her son, Jerry, a stepfather and a new last name. Her next two marriages brought new, exciting endeavors like opening a gun store and running The Marshall House, a bed and breakfast.
Two things stand out in this memoir. The first is the author’s ability to remember a great many details from her past. The second is the inclusion of historical information, which gives weight to the work by examining world and national events that shaped the author’s life. For example, in one story, Dunkinson tells of an adventure sailing to Cuba during the beginning of Castro’s reign. On their arrival in Cuba, she writes, “The first thing I noticed was that they were carrying guns, big black guns. Each man shouldered his weapon in a threatening manner, ready to use it.” Her honesty is to be admired as she includes snippets of self-reflection in her memoir. “As I tell these stories and look at myself from the outside as a stranger looking in at someone else, I did not make the right life choices; I made too many quick decisions without thinking.”
Dunkinson’s life story is one which piques the reader’s imagination. The narrative is written in an easy, conversational manner which seems to welcome the reader into the author’s fascinating life. One of the most interesting events in the memoir occurs when she is a small child. Her mother is asked to rent a room to an up-and-coming young musician. The musician, known to the world as Liberace, becomes a good friend to both the author and her mother, inviting them backstage at concerts. Of this soon-to-be-famous boarder, the author states, “Walter became more than a boarder; he was more like a family member, and eventually, we stopped collecting rent.” These stories of Liberace as a young man are mesmerizing with details of his kindness and generosity. “Above all, I remember how considerate he was.”
Dunkinson’s work is an exploration of life and its many facets. In a life of over eighty years, one would certainly encounter many different situations, but Dunkinson’s life is filled with exotic adventures, which she relates in a fascinating narrative. Her vast memory and attention to detail take the reader on a rollercoaster ride that is not soon forgotten. With her grasp of history and understanding of how these events helped to shape her life, Dunkinson creates an added layer of depth. The book is a tribute to the spirit of an author who has certainly led a life worth chronicling.
