The Plain Language of Love and Loss

A Quaker Memoir

Biography & Memoir, Religious
Cover of the book The Plain Language of Love and Loss by Beth Taylor, University of Missouri Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Beth Taylor ISBN: 9780826271822
Publisher: University of Missouri Press Publication: August 8, 2013
Imprint: University of Missouri Language: English
Author: Beth Taylor
ISBN: 9780826271822
Publisher: University of Missouri Press
Publication: August 8, 2013
Imprint: University of Missouri
Language: English

On November 16, 1965, Beth Taylor’s idyllic childhood was shattered at age twelve by the suicide of her older brother Geoff. Raised in an “intentional community” north of Philadelphia—a mix of farm village, hippie commune, and suburb—she and her siblings were instilled with nonconformist values and respect for the Quaker tradition. With the loss of her beloved brother, Taylor began her complicated journey to understand family, loss, and faith.

Written after years of contemplation, The Plain Language of Love and Loss reflects on the meaning of death and loss for three generations of Taylor’s family and their friends. Her compelling portrait of Geoff reveals a boy whose understanding of who he was came under increasing attack. He was harassed by schoolmates for being a “commie pinko coward” and he tried to appease fellow Boy Scouts after he abstained from a support-the-troops rally. Touching on the timely issues of bullying, child rearing, and nonconformity, Taylor offers a rare look at growing up Quaker in the tumultuous 1960s.

Taylor tells how each stage of her life exposed clues to the subtle damage wrought by tragedy, even while it revealed varieties of solace found in friendships, marriage, and parenting. As she struggles to understand the complexities of religious heritage, patriotism, and pacifism, she weaves the story of her own family together with the larger history of Quakers in the Northeast, showing the importance of family values and the impact of religious education.

Beth Taylor says that she learned many things from her childhood, in particular that history is alive—and shapes how we judge ourselves and choose to live our lives. She comes to see that grief can be a mask, a lover, and a teacher.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

On November 16, 1965, Beth Taylor’s idyllic childhood was shattered at age twelve by the suicide of her older brother Geoff. Raised in an “intentional community” north of Philadelphia—a mix of farm village, hippie commune, and suburb—she and her siblings were instilled with nonconformist values and respect for the Quaker tradition. With the loss of her beloved brother, Taylor began her complicated journey to understand family, loss, and faith.

Written after years of contemplation, The Plain Language of Love and Loss reflects on the meaning of death and loss for three generations of Taylor’s family and their friends. Her compelling portrait of Geoff reveals a boy whose understanding of who he was came under increasing attack. He was harassed by schoolmates for being a “commie pinko coward” and he tried to appease fellow Boy Scouts after he abstained from a support-the-troops rally. Touching on the timely issues of bullying, child rearing, and nonconformity, Taylor offers a rare look at growing up Quaker in the tumultuous 1960s.

Taylor tells how each stage of her life exposed clues to the subtle damage wrought by tragedy, even while it revealed varieties of solace found in friendships, marriage, and parenting. As she struggles to understand the complexities of religious heritage, patriotism, and pacifism, she weaves the story of her own family together with the larger history of Quakers in the Northeast, showing the importance of family values and the impact of religious education.

Beth Taylor says that she learned many things from her childhood, in particular that history is alive—and shapes how we judge ourselves and choose to live our lives. She comes to see that grief can be a mask, a lover, and a teacher.

More books from University of Missouri Press

Cover of the book The Home Fronts of Iowa, 1939-1945 by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book Mark Twain and Human Nature by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book Jessie Benton Frémont by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book A Missouri Railroad Pioneer by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book The Life of Mark Twain by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book Talk Thai by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book All My Days Are Saturdays by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book Working the Mississippi by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book Tangled Bylines by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book German Propaganda and U.S. Neutrality in World War I by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book Selling Black History for Carter G. Woodson by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book New Political Religions, or an Analysis of Modern Terrorism by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book Superfluous Southerners by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book The Vanishing Newspaper [2nd Ed] by Beth Taylor
Cover of the book Race and Meaning by Beth Taylor
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy