Motherless Mothers

For Hope Edelman, whose mother died when she was 17, having children of her own forced her to confront that loss and its anxieties. In her book she eloquently and personally explores how the loss of her mother has impacted her own ability to mother. Edelman reads with a sensitivity and gentleness appropriate for such a delicate topic, whether sharing her own feelings or those of the countless motherless mothers she interviews. Even when quoting the extensive body of research surrounding grief and loss of a parent, Edelman manages to inject a human and empathic element into a guidebook for any mother facing motherhood without the benefit of her own mother's wisdom. H.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

January 23, 2006
Edelman first undertook this painful topic in 1994 (Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss
), drawing from her own experience of losing her mother at 17. Now a mother herself, she considers how her mother's absence has shaped her seven years of parenting. Through interviews, anecdotes and psychological research, Edelman discusses the challenge of mothering in the shadow of someone gone, which often triggers a resurgence of childhood grief and confusion. But this is less a book on mourning than a supportive guide for mothers who may feel overwhelmed and alone, bereft of their own mothers' presence, advice and support. Chapters address general child-rearing topics for each age group with focuses specific to the reader: the void of the absent grandmother, the urge to overcompensate and the perpetual impulse to protect one's family from the specter of loss. Bereavement counselors examine the process of revisiting a traumatic youth through one's children, which affords the opportunity to heal. Edelman's voice, suffused with fierce maternal love, joins the candid recollections from motherless mothers of all ages and backgrounds. She presents emotionally charged concepts in clear, memorable terms (e.g., reaching the "neon number" of a mother's age of death) to encourage frank, cathartic discussion.