mothers in the books we love...

the more imperfect the better

Happy Tuesday, book lovers!

I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day in whatever way you celebrated or remembered. Perhaps you were happy, perhaps you were sad. I understand; there are many emotions there.

Is motherhood a “genre”? There’s no other book I’d rather read more than one with a strong and central mother figure. I’m not holding up Scarlet O’Hara as the pinnacle of motherhood, but what an intriguing creature; how she’s transfixed us. Contrast her with Melanie Hamilton and you’ve got quite the study (if you haven’t read and then watched GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell, please rectify this situation. Yes, I know of it’s “problematic” optics. That’s why you should read it).

Here are some of my favorite books with strong, matriarchal roles (“favorite” is underselling it. I love love love these books!)

read any of these???

Favorite books with strong mother figures:

GLITTER AND GLUE by Kelly Corrigan (my favorite memoir about a mother and daughter)

BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER by Amy Chua (controversial, and a great read)

THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER by Amy Tan (my favorite of Tan’s books! A tumultuous mother-daughter relationship finds a way…)

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett (I love how Skeeter’s mom rallies for her, but it is also Skeeter’s beloved maid and mother-figure, Constantine, that shaped much of her life)

THE UNFORGETTABLE GUINEVERE ST CLAIR by Amy Makechnie (I loved writing this story and asking - who is the mother figure? Gaysie or Vienna?)

OLIVE KITTERIDGE by Elizabeth Strout (In this Pulitzer prize winning book, Olive can be so unlikeable and obtuse. So why do we like her so much?)

Favorite books about women who step into the role of mother:

CUTTING FOR STONE by Abraham Verghese (Orphaned at birth, an unlikely mother and father step in…a favorite of all-time story)

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS by M.L. Stedman (historical fiction that will rip your heart out and challenge your ethics! Would you give the baby back???)

THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE by Alan Bradley (the mother is missing , but her presence is felt everywhere. I adore young Flavia de Luce, “an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison”)

Ann Patchett recommends the memoir Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love by Laura Dern and mom, Dianne Ladd. Forward by Reese Witherspoon. Ann says the greatest gift we can give our moms is to pay attention to them. Ask them questions. (Who knows, it might turn into a book!)

My daughter Brynne recommends household favorite, BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL by Robert McCloskey (featuring TWO mothers: the bear and the human!)

Do you have a favorite book that highlights a mother (for better or for worse??)

I love the women who “mother.”

You are so powerful, and absolutely irreplaceable.

Know that. It’s true.

Amy 🐝

The older two kids have been replaced by yapping dogs…kidding…!

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a little more…

Read THIS about Julia Ward Howe, who, in the 1870’s after two terrible wars, decided we needed a Mothers’ Day (apostrophe plural) - not to encourage people to be nice to their mothers - but to empower women to get involved in politics to change society and END WARS.

Bono talked about his mother Iris in THIS CONVERSATION. His mother died when he was 14-years-old and after that, his very Irish-Catholic/Protestant family of three (Bono, brother, and father) never spoke of Iris again. Bono’s been singing to her ever since, and wrote about her in his book SURRENDER. Just beautiful (doesn’t Bono’s accent makes everything better?)

HEADSTRONG by Rachel Swaby (a gift from my mother and on my TBR pile; “Fifty-two inspiring and insightful profiles of history’s brightest female scientists.” yes, please.)

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