There is so much to be said about this marvelous book but I just want to point out how I personally felt while reading. I’ll try to keep this quick!
Let’s talk about trauma for a second. This book does a great job handling the trauma Elizabeth has been through with men, family and also basic bad judgment by other people.
Here’s the thing about trauma… no two people can compare traumas, traumatic stories, and really judge who has had it worse and who has had it better than. This is something that took me a while to figure out for myself.
The author illustrates this beautifully when Calvin and Elizabeth are up having a midnight chat one evening. They finally broach the subject of families and relay their tales to each other. However, Calvin is a bit upset. It takes him a while to think this through. As an orphan, he came to believe that a person with living parents must have had it better. Not only that, but they should appreciate their parents. Now, obviously in Elizabeth’s case I definitely think her feelings are valid. Calvin came around to seeing that too in his own epiphany that even children with both parents can still have a traumatic childhood.
So, what does this have to do with how I relate to Elizabeth Zott? I feel such a connection because she, in this book, in many ways proved that women, no matter who we are, have walked in the same shoes at one point or another. She took other’s seriously even when so many were ready to see her go. And, such a huge part of change for myself, and others I believe, is simply having their lives and problems validated as real.
The other women in this book really said it best when one commented in the audience of Supper at Six that she just wanted to be taken seriously. And, I feel that very much today. I love this book and the idea of giving everyone, no matter our differences, a chance to be taken seriously.
Book Oracle 