Author: Dave Isay Title: Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from Storycorps
Publisher: The Penguin Press
Publish Date: April 15, 2010
Review Copy Received From: TLC Book Tours and the publisher
Buy: AmazonBook Blurb: 
In time for Mother's Day, Isay brings a satisfying second collection of StoryCorps selections after the bestselling Listening Is an Act of Love. Throughout 30,000 recorded interviews by everyday Americans are numerous memories of parents, and among the many mothers who share their stories in this collection are mothers of every variety—single, working, stay-at-home, with one child or a dozen. A couple describe an unexpected camaraderie between their mothers: one American, the other Ethiopian: My mom would speak in English, and your mom would speak in Amharic, and then they'd laugh and throw their hands up. A mother of 12 tells her youngest, age 12, about her oldest, a soldier killed in Iraq. Reunited at age 60 with the son she reluctantly gave away, Hilory Boucher tells him what happened as she rode away from a Boston home for unwed mothers: You were handed off to a social worker at a stop on the Merritt Parkway, with your pink bunny and your layette. Readers will encounter an emotional range from heart-wrenching to inspirational in these compelling maternal accounts.
In time for Mother's Day, Isay brings a satisfying second collection of StoryCorps selections after the bestselling Listening Is an Act of Love. Throughout 30,000 recorded interviews by everyday Americans are numerous memories of parents, and among the many mothers who share their stories in this collection are mothers of every variety—single, working, stay-at-home, with one child or a dozen. A couple describe an unexpected camaraderie between their mothers: one American, the other Ethiopian: My mom would speak in English, and your mom would speak in Amharic, and then they'd laugh and throw their hands up. A mother of 12 tells her youngest, age 12, about her oldest, a soldier killed in Iraq. Reunited at age 60 with the son she reluctantly gave away, Hilory Boucher tells him what happened as she rode away from a Boston home for unwed mothers: You were handed off to a social worker at a stop on the Merritt Parkway, with your pink bunny and your layette. Readers will encounter an emotional range from heart-wrenching to inspirational in these compelling maternal accounts. Review: What an incredible way to celebrate motherhood and mothers! If there is one thing that the reader will come away with after reading this, is how much mothers affect our lives.
The stories shared here come from Storycorps interviews and they show so many different family situations. They all share a common thread though, the love of the mothers in their lives. It is hard not to be moved by the stories shared here. Some are heartbreaking, others are joyous, and they all allow you to glimpse the family love of each storyteller.
I was struck by how I felt like I was part of the conversations that are shared here, but that is because these stories are part of actual conversations that were recorded across the country.
What a beautiful way to share lives with someone. What a beautiful book!
Rating: 5 flowers
Author Info: About Dave Isay
Dave Isay is the founder of StoryCorps and its parent company, Sound Portraits Productions. Over the past two decades his radio documentary work has won nearly every award in broadcasting, including five Peabody awards. Dave has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a United States Artists Fellowship. He is the author (or coauthor) of four books based on Sound Portraits radio stories, including Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago and Flophouse. He and his wife, Jennifer Gonnerman, live in Brooklyn.
1 comments:
I'm so glad you enjoyed this one - it sounds like a perfect Mother's Day gift as well!
Thanks for being a part of the tour.
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