Don't Call Me Mother
Breaking the Chain of Mother-Daughter Abandonment
by Linda Joy Myers
Train whistles may always hold a haunting sense of loss for Linda Joy Myers. Since she
was four years old, the train's whistle stamps the time of her mother's brief visits. Linda
is abandoned to her grandmother's care after her parents' divorce. Linda finds both dreams and
distress while waiting for the trains' arrivals and departures. In Don't Call Me Mother,
author Linda Joy Myers relates a heartbreaking memoir of abandonment, abuse, and mental
illness across generations.
At first Linda clings to her Grandmother Lula, while yearning for her mother's embrace.
When her mother, Josephine, visits, Linda is thrown into a circle of love and anxiety.
Josephine and Lulu argue at every visit. Josephine gives attention to Linda as almost an
afterthought, yet Linda can think of nothing else but living with her mother in Chicago.
Linda's father visits more infrequently, but Linda always hopes to capture the love of
father and daughters. The naive Linda can only mimic the family relationships of her classmates.
Her world unravels when an abusive grandmother replaces her kind grandmother. Why does her
grandmother change? Can Linda make her happy again?
Linda tries to escape through music, friends, and other family. She delves into the intensity
of music as introduced by her teacher. Fearful of more loss, Linda does not share her home
life with the outside world. Linda and Grandma Lulu take family trips across the states
to Iowa and Mississippi. She discovers solace in the stability of her great-grandmother's
and aunt's country life. Linda's world slowly opens to the puzzle of mother-daughter relationship
and family dynamics. She feels a connection within her family and within the world. Unfortunately,
Linda pieces together a family history of abandonment, abuse, and mental illness. What
will the revelation mean to her own family? Will she ever find love in the arms of her
mother and grandmother?
In Don't Call Me Mother, author Linda Joy Myers unravels her childhood of mother-daughter
abandonment, abuse, and mental illness. Readers will feel her joy, pain, confusion, and
healing. Myers, a San Francisco therapist, teaches healing through writing. Myers includes
an appendix for steps in writing memoirs. Don't Call Me Mother presents a powerful
story and guide to healing the pain of abandonment, especially between mothers and daughters.
Highly recommended! |
The Book |
Two Bridges Press |
May 1, 2005 |
Paperback |
0-9723947-5-3 |
Non-fiction/ Memoir/ Self-Help |
More
at Amazon.com |
Excerpt |
NOTE: First nonfiction prize in Jack London Writing Contest
Some language. Topics in abandonment, abuse, mental illness |
The Reviewer |
Jennifer Akers |
Reviewed 2006 |
NOTE: |
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