Mother Load is a collection of memoir, inner monologue, poetry, and short story which let readers in on some of the realities of mothering from the 1940s to the early 2000?s. This kaleidoscope of courageous, sometimes raw, sometimes loving, narratives bring to the surface the tensions that haunt mothering relationships across generations. The pieces paint pictures of mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, and friends. Grief, anger, and loss are here as well as insights, perspective, and gratitude. Moreover, the silence in these relationships has been highlighted: what was assumed, what was unquestioned or undiscussable, what was too shameful or painful to be put into words. The women whose work is collected here differ from one another in a myriad of ways: family history and geographical location, class and racial identity, and education. But the unity among them lies in their commitment to reflection and to the desire to go closer to their own histories and those of their families, and to express the truths of their lives and their experiences. In telling these stories lies hope for better.
Honickman, Katthy, Walcott, Jennifer and O'Donnell Waters, Ellen
Introduction 7
1. Nancy Garrow 9
Rosalind 10
Sylvia 17
2. Jennifer Walcott 21
Hyacinth 22
Finding Forgiveness 29
3. Melanie Faye 33
Snake ? A Dream 34
Eden ? A South African Childhood 36
Racism ? My Country?s, My Mother?s and My Own 39
Father ? The Storm Rolls In 43
Mother ? From Anger to Forgiveness 45
4. Brenda M. Doyle 51
Honouring My Mother 52
Parents and Parenting 61
5. Kathy Honickman 73
Maybe I Shouldn?t Be Telling You This 74
All She Was and Ever Will Be 84
6. Ellen O?Donnell Walters 103
The Routine 104
Island Mother 105
Kitchen Doors 111
Grandmother 116
Lifelines 117
Story Time 122
Acknowledgements 123
?Excellent writing, varied styles including prose, prose poetry, and poetry. Deeply authentic voices of the writers. (There are) examples of the resolution of issues raised in early relationships and examples of a growth of understanding of the issues. Pointing to paradoxical experiencing of parenting and being parented, (there is) a sophistocated, thoughtful description of some of the experiences of being mothered and being a mother.?
- Juanna Clarke, Professor Emeritus, Dept of Sociology and Anthropology, Wilfred Laurier University
?The title is very evocative and each contribution echoes and builds on the idea of the mother/daughter relationship both as a load, and as a lens through which the past and the daughters place in it can be viewed. The authors provide interesting insights into their subject, and although this is not an academic text, together the contributions problematise the concept of motherhood and force a re-evaluation of motherhood as universal and value-free.?
- Suzanne Scafe, Visiting Professor, Literature in English, University of Brighton, U.K.