In a series of unflinching vignettes laced with heartbreak and often with humor, Places in the Bone gives an unforgettable account of loss and survival, childhood secrets banished from memory, and the power of language to retrieve the missing parts of oneself and one’s past. Woven together with unmistakable lyricism, Carol Dine’s narrative moves back and forth in time and place—from the childhood bedroom that fills her with fear, to a hospital room after her surgery for breast cancer, to an adobe hut in a New Mexico artists’ colony where she escapes and finds her voice.
This voice, it turns out, is a chorus—a harmony of cries, both anguished and triumphant. Among them we hear a young girl speak about the abuse by her father; we hear the tormented reflections of a mother who, for several years after a divorce, loses contact with her young son; and we hear the testimony of a cancer survivor. Through it all, we feel the determination, courage, and creativity of a woman who has spent more than two decades confronting her past, her body, and her identity. Despite her struggles, Dine finds positive influences in her life, including her mentor, Anne Sexton, who recognizes the fire in her words, and Stanley Kunitz, whose indomitable spirit provides enduring inspiration. 
More than a story of personal loss, the memoir moves us with its humanity, its unnerving wit, and its defiant faith. As the fragments come together, we experience Dine’s joy in living and her reconciliation with the past that allow her to renew bonds with her son, her sister, and her mother. In page after page, we witness the power of art to refigure a body, to transform suffering, and ultimately, to redeem.

Places in the Bone: A Memoir

Biographies & Memoirs

Dine, Carol

Community & Culture

Rutgers University Press

In this recently revised edition of a book bestselling New York Times and Pulitzer prize-winning author Norman Mailer said was written in "a poet’s prose, often beautiful . . ." he went on, the book "reads like a skier on a slalom course full of . . . fine surprises and sudden disasters . . ." In a series of unflinching vignettes laced with heartbreak and humor, Places in the Bone gives an unforgettable account of loss and survival, childhood secrets banished from memory, and the power of language to retrieve the missing parts of oneself and one’s past."...a startlingly honest exploration...(Dine) comes to a crucial understanding of how writing gives her ownership over her life." -- ForeWord Magazine"In this powerful memoir, poet Dine reflects...on how disease is just one aspect of a life worth living." -- -Library Journal"Each piece or collage represents a thread of memories that veil and unveil other memories of loss, abuse, and fragmentation. Places in the Bone is an extraordinary work of literature written with grace, eloquence, and dignity - an important testimony of endurance as well as hope." Marjorie Agosín, author of Poems for Josefina and recipient of the United Nations Leadership Award for Human Rights. "I can't remember the last time I was so captured by a book's spell. Carol Dine brilliantly blends past and present events and emotions so that time becomes a collective experience, not a mere chronology. Although this beautiful memoir is full of sorrow, it is ultimately about the redemptive power of art and language." Stephen McCauley, author of The Object of My Affection and True Enough

Lincoln Square Books

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Books by Dine, Carol

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Dine, Carol. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Places in the Bone: A Memoir

Places in the Bone: A Memoir