Reviews for
Leaving 1203

Reflections from Reviewers

"LEAVING 1203 is a miraculous gift that keeps on giving long after you put it down. In poetic prose that hums with the simple grandeur of everyday life, this deeply intimate book will both enlighten and inspire you, making it impossible ever to look at a human being, or a house, or a starlit night, in the same way again. For me, reading it was like being wrapped in my favorite childhood blanket, frolicking through a world so right and true, so full of promise and rich in love, that I didn’t want to leave. But, like McCarty and her unforgettable canine companion, Billy, I had to, and when I did, a most exquisite thing happened: I found myself looking at my own life with a fresh set of eyes and a newly awakened consciousness. Suddenly, I discovered the lesson the book had been trying to teach me all along: 1203 is inside me, inside every one of us, right here, right now, no matter the circumstances of our lives or how far we may have strayed from our True North. Thank you, Marietta McCarty, for showing us all the way home—the greatest gift an author could give a reader."
― Andrew D. Kaufmann
Author of Give War and Peace a Chance: Tolstoyian Wisdom for Troubled Times

“Whether you can or can’t truly go home again, Marietta McCarty had little choice but to return to the home of her youth, which it turns out remained part of the fabric of her being. Emptying her family home of its worldly belongings was an experience, as she shares here in touching and compelling prose, that filled her with a world of tender and moving life lessons — lessons of a universally philosophical and existential kind — that readers of this wise work are surely to absorb and carry with them. This is a work about a kind of rootedness and connectedness that no distance of time or place can erase.”
― Christopher Phillips, PhD
Author of Socrates Cafe and A Child at Heart

“This home is where your heart will be. In this eloquent book, Marietta takes the reader on a touching journey through the life of her childhood home, and you will empathize with her joy and heartbreak while reflecting on your own. One day, my siblings and I might be tasked with emptying the home my parents have lived in for 53 years. I am hopeful that we can model Marietta’s spirit and attitude and embrace this challenge as an opportunity to remember, appreciate, and connect.”
― Dr. Brent G. Richardson
LPCC-S and Chair of Department of Counseling, Xavier University, Author of Working with Challenging Youth

“This is the rare book that reveals the possibilities of a good home life. The marvelous storytelling takes us beyond the structure of a house to the interior of the hearts that lived there. This portrait of days spent in a beloved home is painted with humor, natural beauty, and joy. A river of love courses through relationships, meals, and plants and animals. Once I jumped in, nourished and inspired, I didn’t want to get out. LEAVING 1203 is a welcome, upbeat ride.”
― Jeannette P. Twomey
Attorney/Mediator

"Leaving 1203 details the writer's responsibility of emptying her childhood home. It truly evokes the beauty and spiritual importance of the memories of those we love and have loved us. The book has universal relevance as pretty much everyone will be presented with this task. McCarty's wisdom and sensitivity moves us past inherent sadness to a celebration of loved ones who have shaped our lives. Humorous and heartfelt, Leaving 1203 is a true tribute to family."
― Chris Farina
Documentary Filmmaker