Carrie and Me – A Mother Daughter Love Story
Written and read by Carol Burnett.
I’ve always loved watching Carol Burnett perform any kind of comedy act.
Growing up, there were few successful female role models around. Of course, we didn’t have daily access to the World Wide Web then either.
So for me, mostly my role models came from T.V. And there have always been a lot of actors, but the ones who last are rare, and Carol is definitely one.
I recently came across this audio book written and read by Carol Burnett about her relationship and struggles with her oldest daughter, Carrie.
Carrie went through many years struggling with drug addition. She became addicted to drugs in her teens, attended several rehab programs, and finally was able to maintain a drug free life.
Unfortunately she developed cancer in her 30’s that was diagnosed late, and she passed away at too young of an age.
However, she lived her life the way she wanted, found success in her work, and created many wonderful relationships along the way.
The story starts out as a narrative, with Carol telling about her early life, having her 3 daughters, and going through Carrie’s addiction. Then she narrates a section of communications (with added details) between herself and Carrie leading up to Carrie’s death.
And lastly Carol narrates a fiction story that Carrie was working on prior to her death. When Carrie realized that she would not conquer the cancer, she made a personal request to her mom asking that she finish the story for her if she was able.
I find the sequences interesting and quite unique coming all it one book. Of course it’s a bit of a tear jerker at times, especially if you are a parent.
Mostly I think, as with anyone you might hold in high regard, it’s humanizing to see their personal struggles. To be reminded that we are all human, flawed, and challenged at times in our lives.
Perhaps if we knew more about each persons individual struggles, maybe we might find ourselves struggling with each other less. Criticizing less, and empathizing more.
I know so many of us are really into the fiction, but if you haven’t tried Autobiographies yet, I encourage you to look up someone well known that you admire. See if they have an autobiography available, and give it a try.
It’s always a good idea to step out of your comfort zone from time to time, and you might just surprise yourself.
If you want to find out more about Carrie and Me, click on the link below.
From our family to yours, happy listening!