Akron woman’s marriage to Thomas Edison was a dim time | Book Talk

It was so romantic. Thomas Edison, smitten with Akron heiress Mina Miller, tapped out the proposal in Morse Code under the watchful eyes of her parents, and she responded in the same fashion.

It was only a veneer — for Edison, at least — of what would become an unhappy life for Mina Miller.

In “Seduced by the Light: The Mina Miller Edison Story,” Edison scholar Alexandra Rimer depicts the great man as “a dreadful father and an appalling husband.”

This, however, is a book about Mina, not Thomas. She was the privileged daughter of businessman and inventor Lewis Miller, and one of 11 children. The family was Methodist, and Lewis Miller was co-founder, with John Vincent, of the Chautauqua Institution in New York.

Vincent’s son George, an admirable character, was Mina’s longtime beau and they had an agreement to marry, but one of Mina’s friends was determined to find Edison a wife. They met at a party and Mina’s friend pushed them together. She was 20; he was 40. She dropped George.

After the lavish Akron wedding in February 1886, Edison ignored her, taking his insolent teenage daughter on their honeymoon and dumping her on Mina while he worked. It didn’t get any better when they returned to their new home in New Jersey. By Thanksgiving, her goal was to coax him to remain at the table during the meal for which her parents had traveled from Ohio.

With no satisfaction in her home life, Mina put up a front to cultivate the impression of a happy family, while meddling in her children’s affairs and eventually turning to philanthropy to fulfill herself. This portion of her life is addressed only in an afterword.

“Seduced by the Light” (368 pages, hardcover) costs $29.95 from Globe Pequot. Rimer is assistant editor of the Thomas Edison Papers at Rutgers University.

‘The Music of My Life’

In the forthright memoir, Ravenna native Steve McClain’s “The Music of My Life: Finding My Way After My Mother’s MS Diagnosis” explores his complicated relationship with his mother, Betty, who was only 19 when she began exhibiting symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Betty was determined to remain vigorous, involved in her children’s education and supportive of McClain’s musical inclination as he took guitar lessons and formed a band. His parents divorced when he was 10; he decided to remain with his mother while his sister moved out of state with their father.

After the divorce, Betty was “living fast,” dating often and staying out all night. McClain got into the requisite amount of teen troubles; after high school, he began working at a small factory and continued with music. Betty got an aide to help her with household tasks. Just when McClain thought that “life was as good as it was going to get,” he made a “really stupid” decision. He bought a house to live in with Betty, and her “MS Personality” began to surface.

His guilt at not being able to do everything for Betty is offset by his need for independence, and McClain skillfully balances the conflict.

“The Music of My Life” (134 pages, softcover) costs $24.95 from University of Akron Press. McClain lives in Nashville and teaches geography, earth science and music.

Events

Fireside Book Shop (29 N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls): Josh Womack signs “You Are Not That Funny: Stores from Cleveland Stand-Up,” 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library (Willowick branch, 263 E. 305th St.): Jennifer Boresz Engelking launches “Lost Lake Erie,” 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Alan Dutka signs “Historic Movie Theaters of Downtown Cleveland.”

Mentor Public Library (8215 Mentor Ave.): David Spero talks about “A Life in the Wings,” 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday. Register at mentorpl.org.

Hudson Library & Historical Society: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, author of “iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It,” talks about his memoir in a virtual presentation at 7 p.m. Monday. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, journalist Stuart A. Reid discusses “The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination.” Register at hudsonlibrary.org.

Stark County Public Library (715 Market Ave. N., Canton): Kim Kenney, author of “Exploring the American Presidency Through 10 Historic Treasures,” appears from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday. Register at starklibrary.org.

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Travel writer Rick Steves joins the Online Author Talk Series with “European Travel Tips and Tools,” 4 p.m. Tuesday. Register at smfpl.org.

Twinsburg Public Library (10050 Ravenna Road): William G. Krejci discusses “Lost Ghost Stories of Cleveland,” 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Register at twinsburglibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Richmond Heights branch, 449 Richmond Road): David Lee Morgan Jr., author of “Breaking Through the Lines: The Marion Motley Story,” featured Oct. 1 in Book Talk, appears from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Shaker Heights Public Library (16500 Van Aken Blvd.): Warren Perrin, a college classmate of Shaker Heights High School alum David Berger, discusses “The Weight of History, the Power of Apology: Remembering Lifter David Berger 50 Years After the Munich Olympics,” 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Register at shakerlibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Parma-Powers branch, 6996 Powers Blvd.): Thrity Umrigar (“The Museum of Failures”) talks to Ben Fountain about “Devil Makes Three,” 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Akron-Summit County Public Library (Mogadore branch, 144 S. Cleveland Ave.): James Renner talks about his true-crime book “Little, Crazy Children: The Murder of Lisa Pruett,” 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. Register at akronlibrary.org.

Akron-Summit County Public Library (North Hill branch, 183 E. Cuyahoga Falls Ave.): In partnership with Asian Services in Akron, Chey Caliso talks about “My Filipino Parents’ Worst Nightmare” and “Understanding Asian Americans,” 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at akronlibrary.org.

Grafton-Midview Public Library (983 Main St., Grafton): Mark Dawidziak talks about “A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe,” 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Register at gmplibrary.org.

Akron-Summit County Public Library (Fairlawn-Bath branch, 3101 Smith Road): As part of the Akron Eats series, Judy Orr James signs “Akron Family Recipes: History and Traditions from Sauerkraut Balls to Sweet Potato Pie,” 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at akronlibrary.org.

Warren-Trumbull County Public Library (444 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren): As part of the Trumbull County Reads project, Deborah Wiles talks about “Kent State” and “Anthem,” 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at wtcpl.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Fairview Park branch, 21255 Lorain Road): TV anchor Jack Marschall talks about “The Other Side of the Tracks,” 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. In a Zoom presentation from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Daniel Sweren-Becher discusses “Kill Show.” Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave., Cleveland): Jan Thorpe (“Healing the Space Between Us”) and Fran Stewart (“In Their Path: A Grandmother’s 519-Mile Underground Railroad Walk,” with Joan Southgate) join the Cleveland Stories Dinner Parties series with “Cleveland’s Amazing Role in the Underground Railroad,” 7 p.m. Thursday. Dinner is $25; the lecture is free. Go to musicboxcle.com.

Cleveland Public Library (525 Superior Ave. East): Superman’s Cleveland Conference: It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a Cultural Icon! features workshops, speakers, Roy Schwartz (“Is Superman Circumcised? The Complete Jewish History of the World’s Greatest Hero”) and a keynote address by Brad Ricca, author of “Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster – the Creators of Superman,” 9 a.m. Saturday. Some events are at other locations. See the schedule and register at rustbeltlab.org/superman.

Marvin Memorial Library (29 W. Whitney Ave., Shelby): Mother-and-son team Kate Church and Zac Church read from their children’s book “Splat the Dinosaur,” 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Valeri Furst signs “Milo and Oreo,” 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Mentor Public Library (Mentor-on-the-Lake branch, 5642 Andrews Road): Genevieve Gornichec signs her Norse-inspired “The Weaver and the Witch Queen,” 2 p.m. Saturday. Register at mentorpl.org.

Battleground Taproom (425 Cherry St., Kent): Michelle Wildgen signs her novel “Wine People,” 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron woman’s marriage to Thomas Edison was a dim time