Tim Black spends his time reading his daughter Taylor's diary, typically a no-no for a parent. He also spends much of his time daydreaming of conversations with his daughter. They chat about what they are doing, what their plans could be, and about life in general. Unfortunately, this is all Tim has left.
Taylor Black was diagnosed with brain cancer at seventeen and was dead by age nineteen, just a few short weeks after 9-11, 2001.
In Daydreams and Diaries, Black shares his memories, his daydreamed conversations, and Taylor's diary entries (an aspiring writer herself) as she moves through her new world of cancer treatments, illness and surviving while trying to remain a young adult with hopes for the future.
A touching and heartfelt memoir about a very normal teen whose whole life changes in one short evening and how her family responds to the unwelcome changes. A wonderful way for this writer to express his love and respect for the daughter he lost.
This book is a bit rambling (which I guess can be understood when one is recovering from such a loss), with very short chapters that never fully develop the whole story of Taylor's life or struggle and never quite fully tug at the heart. The book seems more an opportunity to showcase Taylor's writing efforts than to share her story, which honestly I wish he had done.
More importantly for me, Black seems to have skipped the proofreader as errors are rampant. It makes the already simple manuscript a bit...well, amateurish.
2/5- Just okay. Choose with extreme prejudice.
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