My Mother's Daughter arrives in paperback
AUG
26
Let's hear it for paperbacks! They're small enough to slip into your purse, and light enough not to stress your shoulder. You can read them on planes, on elliptical machines and while trying to stay balanced on a lurching subway car at rush hour. Plus, they're affordably priced for book clubs and gift lists. So if you've been waiting for the paperback edition of My Mother's Daughter, here's some good news: today is the day.
One of my favourite reader letters about the book came from one of daughters of a difficult, fault-finding mother who had recently died. They were all reading My Mother's Daughter and were on their way to dinner to remininisce about mom over a bottle of wine. While I wish I could have joined the conversation, this trio clearly needed no help from me.
For more formal gatherings—let's say, your book club—I've prepared some questions that should keep you dishing well past your bedtime. A preview: did you become your own woman because of and in spite of the woman who formed you (the dynamic I've described in the book)? Why do you think many women find it tough to share the truth about their lives with their mothers? Is it possible to honour the memory of your parents and still speak honestly about their failings? For all 14 questions, click here and watch for the little green icon directly under the description of the book.
One more question comes to mind as I write this. My inspiration is a reader—middle-aged with grown daughters who have children of their own. Like many of us, this active, vibrant baby boomer is now keenly aware that she won't be around forever, no matter what she eats or how hard she slogs at the gym. Sometimes she contemplates her death. She wonders what she'll say to her daughters when the time comes, so that they can embrace their futures without her. She found some ideas from my mother's parting words to me. So if you can get your mind around this subject, what message would you want to leave with your own children? Or, if you don't have kids, some other cherished young person in your life? Now there's a conversation I'd like to join!
Posted by Rona August 26, 2008 @ 3:00 AM. File in General
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