Mothering Mother: A Daughter's Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir - Hardcover

O'Dell, Carol D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 160164003X ISBN 13: 9781601640031

Publisher: Kunati Inc., 2007

Synopsis

Compelling and heartrending, this personal memoir chronicles the author's decision not to put her mother, who has Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, in "one of those homes" and relays the far-reaching consequences this choice has on her entire family. Detailing the challenges of reversing roles and learning to mother one's own mother, this refreshing and entertaining autobiography will help those struggling with their own decisions on elder care in the home. It touches on the importance of relationships—such as how they impact our souls and beliefs about ourselves and the quality of life—and explores the larger questions of faith, hope, and ultimately death.

About this title

About the Author:

Carol D. O'Dell is a teacher and author whose work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, including AIM—America’s Intercultural Magazine, Atlanta Magazine, MARGIN Magazine, The Pisgah Review, and Timber Creek Review. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida.

From Booklist:

O'Dell, a member of the "sandwich generation"--made up of boomers taking care of both their own children and their elderly parents--portrays the experience of looking after a mother suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's with brutal honesty and refreshing grace. She peppers the memoir with scenes from her past, including meeting her adoptive parents ("The first time I saw Mama, I was four years old") and the death of her father. With three children and a husband of her own, O'Dell is torn in multiple directions, trying to be mother, daughter, nurse, cook, caregiver, maid, and more to a household of needy people. Mama's neediness is unrelenting, and O'Dell is at once bitter and sorry that her mother cannot be who she was. When the inevitable end comes, O'Dell wonders why she longed for the free time she now finds lonely and empty. A beautiful rendering of a difficult but all-too-common situation, told with plenty of humor, a touch of martyrdom, and much love. Mary Frances Wilkens
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About this edition

• Publisher: Kunati Inc.
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 160164003X
• ISBN 13: 9781601640031
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208