Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter's Memories of Mother

by Kate Farrell (Editor), Amber Lea Starfire (Introduction), Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg (Introduction)

This compelling collection of twenty-five memoirs about mothers written by their daughters reveals a profound legacy between them. The stories run the gamut of mother-daughter relationships, from tenderhearted to difficult, from deep rapport to discord. Yet each story tells an authentic truth, extracts an understanding, finds wisdom. There are common threads of wisdom in this tapestry of international tales. We discover them in the context of extraordinary memoirs written with care and skill, each writer bringing insight into her experiences with mother or a mother figure. Enjoy these true tales-they are women's stories about mother we've been waiting for. For more information, visit http: //www.wisdomhasavoice.com where readers may also submit their own stories for possible publication in future editions.

202 pages, Paperback

First published June 13, 2011

About the author

Catharine (Kate) Farrell has always loved stories. During her years teaching high school in the mid-1960s in San Francisco, stories spoke a special language. Gaining a Masters in Library Science (UC, Berkeley), Kate returned to the City schools. When the Zellerbach Family Fund awarded her a grant to teach storytelling to California teachers, Kate conducted a successful decades-long project. Now a published author of educational books, Kate is a high school librarian and lives in Sonoma County."

Reviews

[Laura McHale Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am one of the twenty-five writers who contributed a memoir to this collection, so I am writing this as someone who is involved with the project, not as an impartial reader. However, I think my point of view is worth sharing and my endorsement valid, because I have first-hand experience observing and working with the book's editor, Kate Farrell.

And what I can tell you is this: no editor has ever cared more about a project and guided an anthology more tenderly and wisely to fruition than Kate. Her attention to detail and ability to reach for clarity and depth are evident on every page. She came up with a vision, expressed her guidelines clearly and worked on each piece with exquisite care. She brought a diversity of writers together for this collection and has thereby created a little treasure, one that captures moments from women's lives that throughout history have mostly gone usung.

I think if you read this book, you will find pieces of yourself in this book, as well as be moved by experiences far different from your own. I believe this book will stand the test of time, and I'm proud to have been part of helping it come into being.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm very biased about this because I'm one of the contributors, but I think it's a must read for daughters & mothers alike. The stories are so compelling.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mother Love and Mother Loss incorporate these 25 stories of personal mother/daugher relationships. You can't help but think of your own mother while reading the collection of stories. It's amazing how much mothers are alike in their unconditional love for their children and the variety of ways they show it.
Kate is my friend and I congratulate her on a job well done in collecting and editing these memoirs.

[Tiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote the final essay in this collection. Of course you should read this book.