Publishers Weekly
02/10/2020
Krasnow (Surrendering to Motherhood) recounts in her charming memoir the many life lessons learned while attending Wisconsin’s Camp Agawak, a sleep-away girl’s summer camp, from the age of eight in 1963. “All that is very adventurous, very sentimental, very brave, and very naughty about who I am today was birthed and nurtured there,” she explains. Toggling between past and present, Krasnow describes growing up in the Chicago suburbs as the daughter of a Polish Holocaust survivor, and notes that summers at Camp Agawak in the wilds of Wisconsin sowed the seeds for her life as a newspaper reporter and then as an author, and instilled in her kindness, responsibility, a sense of ambition, a desire to contribute to the greater good of a community, and taught her to remain steadfast during tough times. Krasnow also writes movingly of her close-knit community of alumni campers, who still maintain close ties to Camp Agawak as they support each other through such ordeals as breast cancer, the suicide of a sibling, and the death of a spouse. This is a thoroughly enjoyable dip into nostalgia for the simpler times of youth. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
"A heartwarmer. A nostalgic treat about a simpler time, it also offers a valuable message for today."—People
"Camp Girls is one of the most compelling and thought-provoking camp memoirs I have ever read. Iris Krasnow encapsulates the transformative essence of immersive summer camp experiences and also serves as a timely call-to-action for all parents. Findings from decades of camp research suggest that summer camp is an optimal context for social-emotional learning experiences which help young people thrive in school, in 21st century workplaces and in life. Iris's masterful storytelling had me laughing and crying while powerfully illuminating the lasting impacts of positive mindsets and skills nurtured in undistracted, human-centered, and adventurous camp communities."—Tom Rosenberg, President/CEO of American CampAssociation
"Iris Krasnow brings us back to the place where memories were made, campfires were lit, songs were sung and friendships were formed. We didn't know it then, but those formative summers spent in cabins, lakes, and canoes made us into the athletes, artists, leaders, and loyal friends we are today. Reading Camp Girls is like finding that old camp photo album in your parent's basement and flipping through its pages with laughter and tears."—Betsy Fischer Martin, executive director of Women & Politics Institute at American University, former executive producer of Meet the Press, NBC News, camper at Camp Feliciana, Norwood Louisiana (1979-1983)
"A thoroughly enjoyable dip into nostalgia for the simpler times of youth."—Publishers Weekly
"In this love letter to summer camp, bestselling memoirist Krasnow (The Secret Lives of Wives, 2011) reflects on her experiences over the years...Former campers, particularly women, will revel in the nostalgia emanating from these pages."—Booklist
Kirkus Reviews
2020-02-05
Krasnow continues to focus on intimate relationships and personal growth, this time through the lens of the summer camp experience.
A self-described “summer camp lifer,” the author, whose books include The Secret Lives of Wives and Surrendering to Motherhood, has penned an extended love letter to the lakeside camp of her youth. Throughout, she advocates for the positive, life-changing effects of camp life for all children. Starting at the age of 8, Krasnow attended northern Wisconsin’s Camp Agawak for two months and continued for the next 10 summers as a camper and counselor. “Camp…is where it all started for me,” writes the author, continuing, “all that is very adventurous, very sentimental, very brave, and very naughty about who I am today was birthed and nurtured there.” Later, the mother of four sons accompanied her boys to their summer camp to work as staff. In yet a third camp run, she returned to Agawak in her 60s to spend summers as a staff member, reviving the camp literary magazine. Krasnow organizes the chapters by traits purportedly cultivated by camp—independence, ambition, versatility, responsibility, and so on—and intersperses her recollections with those of some lifelong camp friends about how the experiences engender these qualities. While the author does fall into repetition and mawkishness as she recounts her beloved activities, songs, and traditions, most readers will be convinced of the value of summer camp in building confidence and character—especially for iGen kids. Free of technology and parental micromanagement yet “seasoned by full-throttle summers that teach us a bounty of skills,” writes the author, “we become resourceful and adventurous adults who feel like we can do just about anything—no matter our age.” Not everyone will relate to the intensity of Krasnow’s immersion in camp life, but her argument for the importance of a sacred childhood space will resonate with many.
A lighthearted read appropriate for summertime.
