Through No Fault of My Own (young Coco Irvine's Diary)
BOOK LAUNCH EVENT
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Common Good Books presents
Through No Fault of My Own: A Girl's Diary
of the Life on Summit Avenue in the Jazz Age
AT THE SWEDENBORGIAN CHURCH
Former Star Tribune reporter, Peg Meir discusses Through No Fault of My Own: A Girl's Diary of Life on Summit Avenue in the Jazz Age, the diary of Coco Irvine (1914-1975), a lumber baron's daughter who grew up on St. Paul's prestigious Summit Avenue.
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A young teenage girl’s escapades as part of St. Paul’s social elite in the 1920s
Coco’s diary carefully records her adventures, problems, and romances, written with a lively wit and a droll sense of humor. Whether sneaking out to a dance hall in her mother’s clothes or getting in trouble for telling an off-color joke. A typical entry in the charming volume goes like this:
"I am in deep truoble through no fault of my own. I told [a] funny joke
at the dinner table and Daddy took great exception to it. I said as plaintively
as possible, "What's wrong with it?" Daddy in a most emphatic way said, "It is
not a good joke for a child your age and please don't repeat it." "But what
does it mean?" I asked, ignoring his reference to my childhood, which if
he had any brains he would see is a thing of the past..."
Here's another one...
"Daddy returned from away. This evening I heard Mother talking
about me to him in a derogatory way. He said, "Good Lord, Clover,
she's nothing but a child, why put ideas in her head!" If only he knew,
I have plenty of ideas in my head. I know plenty of interesting things and
if necessary I will run away and find out anything I don't already know about.
So there!"
"An unrepentant attention-seeker, Coco gets into frequent trouble at home and at school, but her exuberance, defiance, and sweetness will win over readers from her first entry." --Publishers Weekly
"This charming little reproduction of the year she recorded will resonate with contemporary teens and readers who remember the Irvine sisters." --St. Paul Pioneer Press
Swedenborgian Church
170 Virginia Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102