To the editors:
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I recently heard, in a scientific meeting, that Icelandic women are raised so that they are unable to let go of emotion and to permit closeness. Matta seems to contradict this. For example, and I quote from the story, “She’ll hug you when you say good-bye,” etc, and “Kids [in the outreach center where she works] hop up on her lap and hug her.”
So many points are included–like her reporting the shortcomings of treatment and the ineffective counseling by students. She finally summoned her own resources to solve her drug problem and found how hard it was–and is–to maintain her “clean” state. She showed guts and strength and is certainly helping herself through helping others in her own dedicated way. Finally she laments her daily reminders of her previous addiction, especially when she remembers that her daughter, Michelle, lived through it with her.
