4.4 AVERAGE

hokiejo's review

5.0
emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
emotional funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

This book was so interesting because it is about mothers and daughters but it's also about parenting you parents when they are older? How the author is handling all the new things while her mother is suffering from dementia.

thebookofmomlife's review

5.0

As I sit and try to write a review I’m just flooded with memories of my grandmother, of my childhood, motherhood, of so many things. Maya is a beautiful storyteller. The way she explains Alzheimer’s, “Alzheimer’s is devastating because it annihilates one’s story. It vacuums it up. Even the name feels greedy to me. It drags your loved one away from you. My mom no longer belongs to me. She belongs to her illness.
My time with her is a way of countering that apostrophe.”
We all have an image of what our parents story is but I don’t think we ever take off our blinders to actually see or even ask questions to find out more, afraid of what the answers may be. This book asks the hard questions and deals with real life situations and surviving them. There is so much I can say about this book , that I’ll carry with me, so I’ll just say this read this book. You won’t regret it.

newtons's review

5.0
challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced
britlovestoread's profile picture

britlovestoread's review

5.0

This is a book I needed that I had no idea I needed until I picked it up and I am literally a puddle on the floor after finishing this.

"Maybe at our most maternal, we aren’t mothers at all. We’re daughters, reaching back in time for the mothers we wish we’d had and then finding ourselves."

That quote literally shakes me to my core because, I mean, wow.

Following Maya's journey learning hard truths about her mother and learning how to care for her as her dementia worsened, it was captivating. And her analysis on women, especially as mothers, and all that we carry- how we are constantly expected to sacrifice ourselves over and over again- it was dead on. The weight is so heavy.. Maya learning how to balance that weight, or at least how to *try* and balance that weight, and ultimately choosing herself more frequently was so encouraging. Such a beautiful story.
reflective medium-paced

In the beginning, I didn't think I was going to like this book; it was quite dark and depressing.  However, by the end it was a wonderful story of mother-daughter relationships and the relationship with your self.  Recommended for those with aging parents!

ppratz's review

5.0
emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-paced
krebtown15's profile picture

krebtown15's review

5.0

As the daughter of a mom with dementia, I found this illuminating, reassuring, distant from my experience, and also revealing. Beautifully written and honest.
lmau's profile picture

lmau's review

3.75
challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

whimsybookworm's review

4.0
challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced