Simmons was close to her mother and Faust clashed with hers, but neither wanted anything resembling her mother’s lives.
Both studied foreign languages, lived abroad for the first time during school, studied the humanities at Ivy League grad schools and entered academia.
I’d urge every educator to assign “Up Home” to high school students or incoming college freshmen.
“So many people hear coming-of-age or bootstrap stories and think they get it,” Simmons told me.
“So often,” she lamented, “people believe that if you are a victim of want that somehow escaping that is all you desire.”
Persons:
Simmons, Faust, Anne Moody’s, ”, ” Simmons, — Simmons
Organizations:
Ivy League grad, New York
Locations:
Texas, Mississippi