MOTHERLESS MOTHERS How Mother Loss Shapes the Parents We Become

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. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 06]