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| View Larger Image | Mothering Mother: A Daughter's Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir
by Carol D. O'Dell
| | List Price: | $19.95 | | Price: | $13.57 | | You Save: | $6.38 (32%) |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 206203 | | Studio: | Kunati Inc. | | | Binding: | Hardcover | | Number Of Pages: | 208 | | Publication Date: | April 01, 2007 | | Publisher: | Kunati Inc. |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
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. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 43 reviews)
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Writing might not be a cure, but it helps 
Caring for a parent with Alzheimer's must be devastating. The disintegration of personality, the abusiveness, and the confusion. It calls into question the whole notion of sanity. When Carol O'Dell's mother adopted her, she insisted that Carol would be taking care of mom when she got old. As the Alzheimer's set in, so did the promise. As mom becomes more abusive, this commitment feels almost overwhelming.
As the disease advanced, O'Dell became more immersed in her mother's daily care, but with less and less emotional reward from a mother who no longer recognized her. And what about O'Dell's husband and kids who also wanted her attention? It is strange going from the craziness of caregiving for mom to the normal concerns of kids and husband.
While most of us who are not in the situation would probably rather not think about it, this strange stew is part of the human condition. One of the reasons I read memoirs is to put myself in another person's shoes, and experience what their world is like, and Carol O'Dell's book has given me that, an intimate look at this most disturbing experience.
In addition, she has offered me a sort of hope, in a surprising direction. Carol O'Dell faced the painful situations, she used writing, both to eloquently communicate to the reader and also to contain and absorb some of her own experiences. She talks in the book about walking out to the river to center herself after an especially painful bout. I also can feel her retreating to her room and writing in her journal.
I believe the act of writing is the opposite of Alzheimer's. It doesn't cure the disease, certainly, but it helps establish or re-establish the sanity and purpose of life, so that we can stay alive, energetic, and hopeful despite such horrific and confusing setbacks. Writing about inhumane situations creates a sort of humanity of its own.
September 02, 2008 | |
I wish I'd found this book sooner!
I thought "Mothering Mother" was enlightening, encouraging, humorous and heartwarming. I read excepts from it out loud to my husband and he asked me if Carol O'Dell was writing about her mother or MY mother! My Mom, the Ancient Toddler, has quite a few of the traits that Carol's Mother had. Carol doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but she does a terrific job exploring and writing about the many emotions a caregiver goes through. I'm SO glad I read this book!
June 14, 2008 | |
Mothering Mother
I can't tell you how much of an impact this book has had on me. I'm also a daughter caring for her mother and it was almost like I was reading my own thoughts. It was just so extremely comforting to know that I'm not alone with the thoughts and emotions I'm experiencing as my mom fades further and further away from me as Alzheimer's takes over. She's in the later stages of that dreadful disease now. This book was written with such honesty and raw emotion. It has greatly heartened me to know that maybe some of my own thoughts aren't so bizarre after all, and that maybe I really can make it through this without completely losing myself along the way. Thank you so much, Carol, for sharing this part of your life with us. You are truly a gem! I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
June 05, 2008 | |
Mothering Mother
I have given this book to friends and recommended it to others who are steering the difficult passage as caregiver to a parent. O'Dell uncovers moments of frustration and inspiration but above all, truth, as she exchanges roles with her mother who struggles with deteriorating physical and mental health. There's plenty of humor--like when her mother demands O'Dell wear a slip because ladies do not go outside without one--and moments of heartbreak. In a culture geared toward youth, this powerful book presents details of a parent in decline and a daughter who protects and loves her to the end. But this parent isn't dropped into a nursing home. O'Dell courageously takes her mother into her own home and tries to balance the needs of her enlarged family. For Baby Boomers, Mother Mother is relevent and poignet and I'll continue to give it to the growing number of my friends who find themselves in similar situations.
June 04, 2008 | |
Mothering Mother
MOTHERING MOTHER is a tough book to read. Carol D. O'Dell shares her real, day-after-day experiences caring for a woman who had once been her mother. She describes an exhausting, exasperating, often lonely life journey that many of us in the "baby boom" generation are facing or will one day face. But just when this challenging existence threatens to overwhelm her and her family, Carol finds the absurdity in the frustration, and the humor in the unbearable. MOTHERING MOTHER is a book that demands the personal involvement of the reader. Join Carol on her journey--you won't regret it.
June 04, 2008 | |
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