Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

Author:

Katheleen Rooney was born in West Virginia but spent most of her upbringing in the Midwest. She earned her undergraduate degree at George Washington University in Washington D.C. and her master’s at Emerson College. It wasn’t until I had already had my eye on this book and purchased it that I realized Rooney is a professor at my alma mater, DePaul University, and it wasn’t until after I had visited the Chicago Artisan Market TWICE that I realized that Poems While You Wait, an on-demand poetry collective that was founded by her and another DePaul professor, was there. Rooney has published non-fiction, fiction, and poetry and may just be my new writing role model. She currently lives in Chicago, so I’ll be keeping my eye out in case we are standing in the same grocery store at some point.

Learn More about Kathleen Rooney

Three words to describe this read:

Relatable- Lillian Boxfish was a relatable character for me considering her love of the city and walking it, despite the advice and concerns of others. I also loved her dedication to her career and passion for writing.

Proper- Lillian’s character always made a point of being proper and polite and I loved how the writing reflected this yet didn’t keep her from sharing more intimate stories and ideas with the reader.

Hopeful- The story makes me hopeful for how I could be, mentally and physically, when I get older. Lillian is mobile and independent in her old age and retains appreciation for youth in a way that older people seemingly do not. In some ways, she reminded me of my nana.

Quote:

“A motto favored by the ancients was solvitur ambulando: It is solved by walking. Sometimes, I might add, by walking out.”

I want to start using this Latin phrase in my everyday life because I feel that I already live by it. If I feel restless or sad, I can usually solve that by taking a walk, and I love the idea of sometimes having to solve problems simply by removing yourself.