Alice (Joan) Steacy is a remarkable woman. Coming of age around the mid-'70s, she barely finished high school. It seems apparent that she has some sort of learning disability-- maybe dyslexia? At that point in time, the school system didn't bother to work with her and teach in a way that she could learn. She was just repeatedly held back and transferred to a trade school where she learned hair styling and floral arranging but nothing that really interested her. She manages to get a scholarship to an art school and her thirst for knowledge is wakened. With the full support and encouragement of her husband, she becomes almost a career student. She's always taking classes and reading books on wide-ranging subjects that interest her.

I usually rate books five stars if they rock my world or if I simply can't bring myself to put them down. That's not the case here. My rating reflects the subject matter. How frustrating it must be to have a sharp intellect but to be written off as "less than" because you think and approach things differently from other people. I can't imagine how that would feel. But I got a taste of it through Alice's eyes and I hope that makes me a better, more understanding, more supportive person. ( )

30-year memoir by v talented artist with cognitive impairments (dyslexia?) and physical impairments (arthritis). She ponders impact of these limitations on her art while demonstrating a functional family and the pressures of commercial art making. ( )