Mary Oppen is the wife of the poet George Oppen. When they met, they were both studying to be poets, but it seems that Mary let go of writing early on to paint and do watercolours whereas George always wrote, except during the great hiatus after the war and into the terrible McCarthy years where they had to leave the US because of their communist attachments and activities. As it were, the Oppens led an incredible life of social engagement and art so I had high expectations from Oppen’s autobiography. However, she seems to be too prudish and reserved to write in a more engaging and detailed way about their lives. There are more references to domestic animals than to her own daughter it seems, almost. Nevertheless, this is by no means a superficial book, it is just, somewhat reserved and not at all what one would expect from a communist married to a celebrated Jewish poet, herself an artist in her own right. But it has a lot of interesting information about the desire to live a meaningful life. Surprisingly, what I preferred were her early years because it depicts a life long gone that explains a a lot of current US politics about land and work.