With school still more than a week away, the LEAP Ambassadors still have time for some fun learning before the semester gets underway. So, six LEAP Ambassadors and friends traveled to Houston to visit Murder by the Book and enjoy a presentation by author (and family-law attorney) Wendy Walker.
Ms. Walker has written several books, but her reputation as a writer was largely established with the publication of “All is Not Forgotten.” The book, addressing “memory science” and the affect that it can have on personality and the legal system, was a hit, and it prompted Walker to adopt a similar theme for her latest, “Emma in the Night.” By “similar theme,” we don’t mean to suggest that she wrote “All is not Forgotten” part 2; rather, she is continuing her exploration of how cognitive or personality disorders can play out in families and in the legal system.
In “Emma,” Walker explores Narcissistic Personality Disorder. As Walker notes, her books are a mix of psychology, family relationships, crime, and the legal system, and that is a good description of “Emma in the Night.” It’s an engaging book. In fact, it is so engaging, it has even prompted to Christina to read it!
Walker did a fine job of describing the book and her career at Murder By the Book.
She discussed her various careers, her slowish path to becoming an attorney, and—most interestingly—her foray into writing. Her first books didn’t sell well (“friends and family”), and her agent told her to adopt a new approach to her plots. Taking a step back, inspired by a NY Times article on memory science, and working more closely with her agent, she produced “All is not Forgotten.” With that hit—and the film rights picked up by Reese Witherspoon—Walker got the sales and publicity needed to become a full-time writer.
Walker was more engaging than most authors, and she was particularly gracious in reaching out to us during her presentation, asking us what we were studying, what interested us, and thanking us for coming.
We had time for a nice group photo…
–she even indulged us in a selfie–
…and she spent time discussing her travels and career after her presentation.
We thought about inviting her to dinner with us, but she had previously mentioned her crazy book-tour schedule, and we didn’t want to impinge upon her sleep availability further. So we headed off to Azuma on our own, to continue to expand our cultural horizons with six types of sushi!
It was also a chance for us to catch up—four of us work full-time, two of us work part-time—and to begin some preliminary plans for our trip to Big Bend National Park next week as well as the beginning of the fall semester.
The night was a nice break from the summer job grind, and many thanks to Wendy Walker for an educational and entertaining evening!
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 