Best of AOT: Wally Lamb Reads from Braided Cords Essay

When Wally Lamb packed the Tattered Cover book store in Highlands Ranch, CO in late 2008, many of the people in attendance were fans of Lamb’s first two novels, She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True, both Oprah’s Book Club selections. The fact that his new novel, The Hour I First Believed, dealt with the 1999 tragedy at Columbine High School also hit close to home for the crowd in this south Denver suburb.

Lamb started this event, however, by reading a majority of his essay Braided Cords, a hilarious look back at his early life and career. Lamb starts by introducing us to his older sisters and girl cousins who forced young Wally to play such games as “Death Drums” and “Kingy Boy” (you’ll have to listen to understand!). He also takes us though his college years, his post-collegiate teaching career, and then describes the life-changing call he received from Oprah Winfrey, telling him that She’s Come Undone was chosen as an official selection for Oprah’s Book Club.

This reading of Braided Cords was a great way to start the evening that continued with a riveting reading from I Know This Much Is True.

This podcast was originally recorded on December 1, 2008. You can read the entirety of Wally Lamb’s Braided Cords essay by clicking here.

Please also listen to the uncut Wally Lamb Podcast.