The thing you need to know about me is that I am George Corrigan’s daughter, his only daughter. So begins this beautifully written memoir, in which Kelly Corrigan intertwines her own story with that of her larger-than-life, Irish-American, born-salesman father’s, and illustrates both an unbelievably powerful and healing father/daughter relationship and the unbreakable bonds of family. Writing with candor and a surprising amount of graceful humor, Kelly alternates the tale of growing up Corrigan with her life and her father’s today, as they each successfully – for now – battle cancer. Throughout, she explores the framework of illness and what it means when the one person who has been your source of strength is in need of some himself. Uplifting without shying away from the realities of life with cancer, this highly personal story ultimately examines the universal theme of family, both those we create and those that created us. The Middle Place is about the bittersweet moment between childhood and adulthood, when you’re a devoted wife and mother, but you’ll always be daddy’s girl. In fresh, insightful prose, Kelly explores and ultimately embraces that middle place, bringing to light the wonderful opportunity of coming to know who you are and where you truly belong.

About the Author:

Kelly Corrigan is a writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Edward Lichty, and their two daughters. She is a graduate of The University of Richmond and San Francisco State University (for a Masters in Literature). Shortly after her own battle with breast cancer, she launched CircusOfCancer.org, a how-to web site for friends and family of women with the disease.

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