“Where is it written that a working-class widow’s daughter should to go college?” one of my uncles said to her, drinking coffee at our kitchen table on a Saturday morning in my senior year in high school.
“Here it is written,” she had replied, tapping the table hard with her middle finger. “Right here it is written. The girl goes to college.”
“Why?” he had pursued.
“Because I say so.”
“But why? What do you think will come of it?”
“I don’t know. I only know she’s clever, she deserves an education, and she’s going to get one. This is America. The girls are not cows in the field only waiting for a bull to mate with.”
I stared at her. Where had that come from?
~ Vivian Gornick, Fierce Attachments: A Memoir
Notes:
- Vivian Gornick’s book was named #1 in The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years by the The New York Times (June 26, 2019. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
- Photo credit for portrait of Vivian Gornick
Live & Learn 
Would dearly love to know more….. VERY promising!
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Worthy. Highly recommended…
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In the queue, pal. Thanks!
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the superpowers of a mother. do not dare challenge her.
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Yea…
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Don’t mess with an immigrant mother or grandmother. I come from a long line of these strong women. Things changed when they crossed the ocean.
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Ha. So true.
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Thanks for another great suggestion!
On my list now!
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It is!
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ON my list now too! All I can say is… YES! Not cows at all.
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Laughing!
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YES!
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Wow what awesome writing
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It is!
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Hooray for Vivian’s mother, and Vivian! LOL…”The girls are not cows in the field only waiting for a bull to mate with.”
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Exactly. Inspiring story laced with candor.
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Wonderful. Seems aptly titled.
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It does. Great read.
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