<![CDATA[Not Becoming My Mother: and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way]]>

false <![CDATA[Not Becoming My Mother: and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way]]>

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Bestselling author Ruth Reichl examines her mother’s life, giving voice to the universal unarticulated truth that we are grateful not to be our mothers In Not Becoming My Mother, bestselling author Ruth Reichl embarks on a clear-eyed, openhearted investigation of her mother’s life, piecing together the journey of a woman she comes to realize she never really knew. Looking to her mother’s letters and diaries, Reichl confronts the painful transition her mother made from a hopeful young woman to an increasingly unhappy older one and realizes the tremendous sacrifices she made to make sure her daughter’s life would not be as disappointing as her own. Growing up in Cleveland, Miriam Brudno dreamed of becoming a doctor, like her father. But when she announced this, her parents said, “You’re no beauty, and it’s too bad you’re such an intellectual. But if you become a doctor, no man will ever marry you.” Instead, at twenty, Miriam opened a bookstore, a profession everyone agreed was suitably ladylike. She corresponded with authors all over the world, including philosophers such as Bertrand Russell, political figures such as Max Eastman, and novelists such as Christopher Marlowe. It was the happiest time of her life. Nearly thirty when she finally married, she fulfilled expectations, settled down, left her bookstore behind, and started a family. But conformity came at a tremendous cost. With labor-saving devices to aid in household chores, there was simply not enough to do to fill the days. Miriam—and most of her friends—were smart, educated women who were often bored, miserable, and silently rebellious. On what would have been Miriam’s one hundredth birthday Reichl opens up her mother’s diaries for the first time and encounters a whole new woman. This is a person she had never known. In this intimate study Reichl comes to understand the lessons of rebellion, independence, and self-acceptance that her mother—though unable to guide herself—succeeded in teaching her daughter.

6315129

2009

Not Becoming My Mother: and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way

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2 1 false false Wed Oct 07 08:49:45 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 07 08:54:43 -0700 2009
This book is far too slight to justify it as, erm, a book. It's reall...more...]]> 5 2 false false Mon Aug 31 06:26:27 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 06:26:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 1 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 14:41:11 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 15:20:24 -0700 2009 1
Ruth Reichl, who is editor of Gourmet magazine, has written three other memoirs on life/love/food, two of which I've read and really enjoyed. However, her newest pseudo-memoir about her mother's issues, I found terrible.

Rather than being anecdotal and witty, ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jul 30 03:30:46 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 15:22:04 -0700 2009 Tender at the Bone Growing Up at the Table. This one was quick and easy and gave me a bit to think about, although I didn't entirely agree with Ruth's conclusions.

Basicall...more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Sep 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 04:59:19 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 19 07:12:16 -0700 2009
When I finished this book, I had simultaneous urges to call my sister, my mother and my daughter.

I'm a big fan of memoirs and especially when the ...more...]]> 2 1 false false Tue May 26 18:53:18 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 18:53:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 4 false true Sat Apr 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 08:28:48 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 12:22:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri May 08 17:37:09 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 17:57:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Nov 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 06:17:35 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 07:08:50 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jun 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 15:25:21 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 21 14:49:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 1 false false Sun Feb 08 19:45:56 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 19:46:35 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Tue Sep 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 20:43:59 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 20:48:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Fri Jun 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 19:06:22 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 19:08:08 -0700 2009 Losing Mum and Pup and CAlvin Trillin's About Alice.) Someday I hope to put my bumma stories t...more...]]> 5 2 false false Thu Jul 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 08:59:36 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 08:38:54 -0700 2009
In spite of the title, this is actually a tender (and very short) love note to her mother. Theirs was definitely a strained mother-daughter relationsh...more...]]> 4 2 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 04:15:26 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 04:41:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 08:17:57 -0700 2009 Fri Nov 06 09:44:11 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Jun 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 11:04:25 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 11 08:33:20 -0700 2009
It shows how a woman of the early - mid 20th century lived, even ...more...]]> 1 1 false false Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 07:34:44 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 16:11:03 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue May 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 17:51:08 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 17:51:08 -0700 2009 1
Many of Reichl's stories were about her mother. These s...more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Sep 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 15:50:32 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 12:38:01 -0700 2009 more...]]>