Historical/Social/Cultural Contexts

Historical Context
This memoir goes over different periods of history; from the time when Mariam’s parents were raising Mariam and her sisters all the way up to Mariam had her own family to raise and look after. You can see a history of love and warmth that enveloped Mariam and her sisters, so in turn when Mariam grew up and started her own family she also gave that same love to her own family. You can see a history of family and love spread over time.

Social Context
Socially Sarah’s memoir examines the lives of herself and her family through a first person approach. She tells her own story as well as the story of her family’s through her perspective. She goes through the lives of herself, her parents Rob and Mariam, her sister Hannah, her aunts Deborah and Susannah, and even her partner Domingo. Socially her writing is very interpersonal between all of these characters, you can see the fine details of all of their lives and how they connect with each other in dealing with Mariam’s Alzheimer’s.

Cultural Context
Culturally Sarah and her family are a small Jewish family that live in Eastern Canada. They are a typical suburban family that gather for holidays such as Hanukkah, and family is a big focus of their lives. Throughout Sarah’s memoir she is consistently referencing the antics of her family and how that affected her. Another important aspect of their culture is singing together, often the women (such as Mariam and her sisters) would gather to sing songs together in unison.