Being A Rockefeller, Becoming Myself: A Memoir (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
I read this book, because I heard Eileen Rockefeller speak on a panel discussion of ¨Descendants¨ at a book festival. All three women on the panel were descendants of famous fathers. I expected Eileen to be one of those ¨culture snob¨ rich ladies. Instead she came across as a very spiritual, warm and understanding woman, who had obviously struggled a lot to become the person she wanted to be.Her book ¨Being a Rockefeller; becoming myself¨ has the same feel to it. However, while reading I got the impression that Rockefeller felt that she needed somehow prove that she was not a spoiled rich brat. Despite the fact that in real life she is anything but, she kept stressing how hard she worked, how she had used her wealth to start environmental and social initiatives, and to what noble causes she gave money. I had hoped to hear a little more about her inner development.I wondered why she wrote the book. Was it to apologize for being wealthy, or to advance the causes she champions, or for self healing?In short I am more impressed with the person than with her book. Eileen Rockefeller’s memoir, “Being a Rockefeller, Becoming Myself,” is the most inspiring I have read this year. Any narrator as candid, deeply reflective, and funny as this one would be wonderful and memorable; that this voice comes from within one of our country’s wealthiest and most private families is all the more remarkable. Rockefeller beautifully captures her simultaneous senses of joy and isolation growing up and her struggles to come into her own as an adult. A dyslexic introvert, she has connected with nature, social justice, and spirituality, and she has made sense of who she is. She has found peace and privacy; she has been healed and is a healer. I soaked up Eileen Rockefeller’s wisdom about identity, relationships, and philanthropy. And with the recurring island chapters in my own life, I especially connected with her stories of the simple cabin she, 3 of her siblings, and her mother built on a Maine island.Indeed, I so enjoyed “Being a Rockefeller, Becoming Myself” that I gave it to friends and clients this thanks-giving season; I highly recommend it!
What do You think about Being A Rockefeller, Becoming Myself: A Memoir (2014)?
I won this book on good reads, I liked the book and it was neat to read about her life and family.
—MustConfess
Could not finish. I kept plodding through hoping for meaningful message.
—Sofie
Very interesting family. Not what I expected.
—lucky13
