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What a great writing prompt: “what my mother and I don‘t talk about”…which all of these essayists took in different directions. I loved this collection which was at times painful. So many relatable moments even though my mother was nothing like any of the mothers in this book. I suppose it is a singular thing, the mother-child relationship, though so much is universal. I realize I just contradicted myself 🤷🏼‍♀️ anyway the audio is great!

About three essays into this one and enjoying it so far. Still disappointed at my last non-fiction DNF, so I‘m glad this one seems to be working out.

Anything you and your mother don‘t talk about?

Short stories. Some very sad.

Great collection! Some essays mainly addressed mom, while others delved into the whole family. I loved the essay about a father who wouldn‘t let the author email or talk to her mother alone. It was into the author‘s middle age before they developed a one-on-one relationship. There was also a Sri Lankan mother with BPD whose daughter had to learn boundaries. The best was the final one by Leslie Jamison about her mother‘s brief first marriage. ⬇️

New book for the weekend! #bookmail

Varied in scope and focus, this collection of essays is the most real thing I‘ve read about the complexity of a relationship with a mother figure. The personal essay is in fine form and I‘m here for it.

New audio, so good.

Mothers, mothering, relationships with mothers, it‘s all hard. It‘s hard to process, live through, survive sometimes even if you‘ve got the best mother who ever lived. It‘s a relationship that you grow up with in more ways than one as it‘s constantly changing. This was a good, relatable, sad and truthful read in a way I can‘t be about my own mother. I appreciate the emotional labor others were willing to go through that I won‘t touch personally.

Incredibly relatable, speaking to varying levels of familial bonds & lack thereof by different voices. My writing instructor was included as were several of my favorite authors: Carmen Maria Machado, Melissa Febos, Kiera Laymon... It‘s well-worth a read whether or not you & your mother are close. The stories sparked many emotions, mostly empathy. I so respect writers who chose to share these pieces of their realities. I crave more of this honesty.

I saw Michele Filgate, Melissa Febos, and Bernice McFadden speak about their essays at the San Antonio Book Festival in April and was happy to finally get to the book. I think overall this is a great collection. A few made me smile and others brought tears to my eyes. Over the last few months circumstances have made me think about my mother and our relationship a lot. I don‘t think that this book could have come along at a better time for me.

Been getting more and more into essay collections lately and I can‘t think of a better way to end the weekend than by doing some familial soul searching 💖🌸👩‍👧This one‘s had my eye for a while!!

The other day, I was teaching a gender studies class-nine teenage girls all anxious to say the right thing, their desks in a circle-and my students and I were talking about mothers. We were talking about the impossible positions they are placed in, the ways in which they are our models; we were talking about what little space moms have to also need and also want.

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15 essays from various writers of various backgrounds about their mothers. Revealing and heartbreaking. Recommend. One of my favs this year. And with this book i am one book ahead of my reading challenge !!

The title expresses well the contents of this book of essays. They range all over the map, from abuse to the complicated nature of relationships. As most of us have mothers, it‘s relatable, but I also found it a bit of a gut punch and felt drained at the end. I‘m glad I read it.

Backdrop: dog yoga (#Bindi)

This was an excellent essay collection that got me thinking about what I don‘t talk to my mother about. And it will do the same to you too if you decide to pick it up. I highly recommend reading these moving essays by great writers.

Switching to essays after the sun goes down. Paul Tremblay is too scary for nighttime reading #anxiety #scardycat

I devoured this book. Obviously I liked some essays more than others. I‘m glad it ends with a happier essay bc A lot of these were a bummer (but good!) Loooooved it!

4/5🌟I thoroughly enjoyed this! I find reading almost anything about Motherhood and Mother-Child relationships so facinating! I loved how these essays showcased all different relationships with Mothers. The cause and effect of the things we dont speak of. From traumas, addictions, shame, to decisions mother make or don't to fathers to our mothers own lives. Very thought-provoking! Also discovered some new writers, Leslie Jamison & Melissa Febos.

I really enjoyed this collection and found all of the pieces good, some of them great (like Leslie Jamison‘s - love her writing, can‘t believe I still haven‘t read The Empathy Exams!). I don‘t read too many essay collections organized by topic, but this makes me want to read more of them, because the way in which the writers‘ experiences are hugely different but still share many common threads is rich food for thought.

More Oprah picks

What My Mother and I Don‘t Talk About‘ is a series of short stories told by 15 writers and their relationships with their mothers. ⁣
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I loved and felt deeply moved by the stories that these writes shared.

I find stories about motherhood so intriguing, like cult stories. It is true that relationships between mothers and daughters are often based on what is not said, what decisions are not made, what is left up in the air. That‘s why I found this collection of essays interesting. Unfortunately, only a few are striking and memorable. However, if you like stories about motherhood, childhood and memories pick this up.

Difficult but important topics discussed. There's so much in life that keep us from being honest and authentic, this book explores what it is to be both those things and more.

Oy. The things we don‘t talk about are harrowing and searing in their truth. A great collection of essays. Each more well-written than the last. All brilliant. This book will stay with me.

A wonderful birthday gift from two of my favorite peeps! I am excited to dive in! Thanks @Paws-and-books and @dlopez69 😊

It‘s Tuesday, which means NEW BOOKS! Here are some of today‘s new releases. And there‘s a whole bunch more out now! What are you excited to read? 📚❤️📚

A tough read for anyone who doesn‘t have a pristine relationship with their mother. So basically, all of us.

A very solid collection of essays from a diverse selection of writers about the things they don‘t talk to their mothers about: family history, abuse, love, protection, secrets, first husbands, expectations. Particularly poignant essays are from Alexander Chee and Brandon Taylor (the last few pages of Brandon‘s gutted me, not because it‘s graphic or horrible, but because it‘s a wish to have understood his mom and who he knew her to be).