Terry Gross
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Yes, and that is a big but because who you wanted to be was a writer.
I mean, when you were very young, you were already deep into books.
You knew you wanted to write.
And your mother's attitude was, that's not a career, stringing sentences together.
You're not going to make any money.
It's not going to be a thing.
So, you know, be a doctor, be a lawyer.
A lot of people have heard that.
Yes.
From their parents.
But it was particularly wounding for you because your identity was so totally wrapped up in books and in words, language, writing.
And to be told, it's like being told, you're not who you are.
You're a fraud.
You're not who, you know, she called you a fraud.
And you know, you can't strip an identity from a child who is wired to be that way.
I mean, it sounds like it wasn't even your choice.
It was your essential being.
My guest is Rachel Eliza Griffiths.
Her new memoir is called The Flower Bearers.
We'll talk more after a short break.