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 46 reviews)

Soul Soothing! by FurryFamilyCircus

5 Stars
June 11, 2009
As I am presently walking on that difficult, exhausting and yet often rewarding road of caregiving, I accidentally (if there is such a thing) stumbled across Carol O'Dell's website and subsequently her book. I live in Europe where books like these are few and far between and was grateful to have it sent via Amazon to my little corner of the world. My gratitude has no boundaries. A lot of my emotions that I wouldn't have dared to voice to anyone (except to maybe my saintly husband and my ever patient journal) are beautifully and eloquently described here. Mothering Mother truly has soothed my exhausted soul, and I am profoundly relieved that I can take this book, open it randomly and find myself again and again. It must have cost so much courage and tears to write it, but it is obviously touching and enlightening a lot of people. I have already given it away twice to people who are also mothering mothers - and their perceptions of being solitary soldiers were changed. Please, buy this book if you are a caregiver and feel alone! You are not.

Caring for Mother by Linda J. Babcock (NJ)

5 Stars
May 27, 2009
wonderful, compassionate book; so on-point; I'm living through this with my own mother - very helpful

so true, so true... by Vic (Virginia)

5 Stars
January 23, 2009
As someone who is "mothering mother" after a massive stroke, I laughed, I cried, and I understood sooooo much of the feelings behind this book. I deal with much of this every day...except my mother can't get around at all on her own. I use to think that was a horrible thing, but after reading this book, sometimes I think that may not be such a bad thing since she is more like a small child now. It's so hard to watch our mothers be the one who needs mothering when we aren't ready not to need our mothers ourselves....... Terrific book! Thanks so much to the author for making me not feel so guilty about the times I get frustrated and tired.

Laughing and crying your way through by Deanne (Louisiana)

5 Stars
October 25, 2008
If you have lived thru what Ms.O'dell is writing about, you will appreciate this book more. However, if you haven't you can still love it.I have lived it and she is so honest--she put into words all the ambivalent feelings I had caring for my mother. I would not have traded the experience for the world but no one understands like someone who has been there. I laughed and cried and exorcised my guilt. Thank you Ms. O'dell....my mom's spirit was right there with me when I was reading. The only thing that that would make it better would have been our moms writing a chapter from their point of view. I often looked in my mom's eyes seeing her lost but unable to tell me what was in her brain.

A powerful memoir.. by B. Flatt

5 Stars
October 10, 2008
Carol wrote a very heartbreaking memoir..she says on the cover Mother Mother a daughter's humorous and heartbreaking memoir..I did see some humor but I also saw a very vibrant picture of Carol's Mother. I read some--reflected--read some more--as I got closer to the end of the book I read it straight through. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has a loved one that has Alzheimer's--the beginning, middle or end of the disease and I recommend this book to anyone that has a loved one that is dying. Carol has a list of recommended reading in the back of the book and a list of many organizations that might help someone who is looking for help.

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	Caring for Mother: A Daughter's Long Goodbye by Virginia Stem Owens (Author)
	Dancing with Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer's by Lauren Kessler (Author) Previously published in HC as Dancing With Rose One journalist’s riveting—and surprisingly hopeful— in-the-trenches view of Alzheimer’s Nearly five million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s. Like many children of Alzheimer’s sufferers, Lauren Kessler, an accomplished journalist, was devastated by the disease that seemed to erase her mother’s identity even before claiming her life. But suppose people with Alzheimer’s are not slates wiped...
	Still Alice by Lisa Genova (Author) Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University. Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail...
	Learning to Speak Alzheimer's: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease by Joanne Koenig Coste (Author), Robert Butler (Foreword) More than four million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, and as many as twenty million have close relatives or friends with the disease. Revolutionizing the way we perceive and live with Alzheimer’s, Joanne Koenig Coste offers a practical approach to the emotional well-being of both patients and caregivers that emphasizes relating to patients in their own reality. Her accessible and comprehensive method, which she calls habilitation, works to enhance communication between carepartners and...
	The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss in Later Life, 4th Edition by Nancy L. Mace MA (Author), Peter V. Rabins MD MPH (Author) Revised in 2006 for its twenty-fifth anniversary, this best-selling book is the "bible" for families caring for people with Alzheimer disease, offering comfort and support to millions worldwide. In addition to the practical and compassionate guidance that have made The 36-Hour Day invaluable to caregivers, the fourth edition is the only edition currently available that includes new information on medical research and the delivery of care. The new edition includes: -new...