Moms in Books, Real and Imagined

 

Motherhood is tough and in a society where it is highly idealized, even if you have an amazing mom, it is interesting to hear other perspectives and experiences.  Whether you’re a mom, frustrated by your mom, or feeling the loss of a mom, here are some books to inspire and let you know you’re not alone.

(True!) Paula by Isabel Allende:  An autobiographical account of when the author’s daughter fell into a coma. The author recounts to her the history of their Chilean-American family, with magical realism elements.

(True!) Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou: The last of the author’s autobiographies, focusing on her relationship with her mother, who abandoned her while young, but returned 10 years later.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple: When her wild & whimsical mother Bernadette disappears, 15 year old Bee turns private detective to figure out what happened to her. A lighthearted and eccentric mystery/adventure.

 I’m the Vampire, That’s Why by Michele Bardsley: Single mom and vampire, Jessica has commitment issues after a bad divorce, but sexy vampire Patrick did save her life by turning her…

(Graphic Novel) Are You My Mother?A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel: A comical, personal, intense look into the author’s unusual family with a gay father and complicated mother as well as the nature of female relationships and society.

(Historical fiction: 1950s New Orleans) Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys: Josie is a straight A student who has been saving every cent she can for college. Her mother’s job as a local prostitute has made things difficult, and when one of her mother’s clients turns up dead, the investigation threatens to ruin their tenuous relationship permanently.

Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis:  Luther is an African American teen who is determined to get out of Flint, MI, and away from his mother, who he calls Sarge. His mother owns a number of slum houses and Luther works hard maintaining them in return for college funds. The Sarge bullies, scams, and manipulates her way into everything she wants, including with her son, but Luther thinks he knows a way out.

(True!) The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride:  An introspective look at race, social class, and identity through the lens of an author raised by a black pastor father and a white mother in a family with 12 siblings.

How to Save a Life by Sarah Zarr:  Jill’s father has passed away, and Jill feels herself disconnecting from close friends and the world in general as a protective measure as she grieves.  Jill’s mother, however, decides to adopt a baby and let the teenage mother life with them during her pregnancy.