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A Plea for Understanding

Found by Francis DiClemente in Syracuse, New York

This find came from a used book I purchased from Blue Cloud Books on Amazon. The paperback copy of “An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness” by Kay Redfield Jamison arrived in the mail and I started flipping through the pages. On the inside cover I discovered a personal inscription someone had written to a friend or family member (or so I assumed). It was dated Christmas Day, 1997. At first I thought the author’s name was George, but in looking at the flowing cursive handwriting, I think a female wrote the passage. My best guess for the name is Gege. Gege wrote to Stephanie, stating that the book “explains so much of who i am in ways i never could.” I was intrigued by Gege’s request that Stephanie read the book with an “open mind and an open heart.” I was curious about the status of their relationship. Did the book help to draw them closer? Did Stephanie actually read it? Did she try to see things from Gege’s perspective? Since I bought the book on Amazon, I wondered if Stephanie had rejected Gege’s wishes and sold the copy for just a few dollars. I felt empathy for Gege, and I hoped in the years since 1997 she had navigated her emotions and found a way to be at peace with herself and with her loved ones.

Comments

  1. Chrome Toaster says:

    Hmm.. I read the name as Joyce at first, but now not so sure.. it’s always interesting to find personal notes inside used books. *Enexelent* Finder’s Blurb, Francis!