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Source of the Spring: Mothers Through the Eyes of Women Writers
One of the leading voices in women's education has assembled a literary look at the motherdaughter relationship by 40 of the top writers of today, including Erica Jong, Edwidge Danticat, Anna Quindlen, Zora Neale Hurston, and Cathleen Schine. All royalties go to the Barnard Scholarship fund for girls.
350 pages, Hardcover
First published March 27, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 10, 2024
Rating 4.5
I struggled at first to find interest in this book but once I got accustomed to the constant change in writing and storytelling style that interest was instilled in a heartbeat. The representation and truth this book holds goes beyond what I could have imagined from a book like this. We get to see the perspectives of mothers, daughters and women simply telling us how life was or is for mothers.
Like many of these writers mention, we sometimes forget our mother is an individual that has an identity of her own. That they aren't simply a mother. They're a daughter, a friend, a wife. A human being. That this woman we call our mother had a life, an identity, before and after we were even born. As kids we might not realize the hardships our mother goes through until we are adults, when we begin asking her questions about her past or when she freely vents to you. It is in those moments where you tend to understand and see your mother in a different light. It is in those moments where you see not your mother but a woman. A woman, who was once your age, going through the stages of life.
I can keep on going, as there were so many goods points made throughout this book, but I won't because it's difficult to exert the importance and power those points have without the context and backstory. I would definitely recommend this book. I had gone in blind but came out in utter awe of what this book has made me feel and think.
An excerpt from the book that I enjoyed:
"There is no end to this story. As long as I live I will be redefining my daughterhood in the light of my motherhood. Because I am a writer, I will write about the process since writing is my way of staying sane. But there will never be a final incarnation of my mother, of my daughter, of me. We are all works in progress.”
I struggled at first to find interest in this book but once I got accustomed to the constant change in writing and storytelling style that interest was instilled in a heartbeat. The representation and truth this book holds goes beyond what I could have imagined from a book like this. We get to see the perspectives of mothers, daughters and women simply telling us how life was or is for mothers.
Like many of these writers mention, we sometimes forget our mother is an individual that has an identity of her own. That they aren't simply a mother. They're a daughter, a friend, a wife. A human being. That this woman we call our mother had a life, an identity, before and after we were even born. As kids we might not realize the hardships our mother goes through until we are adults, when we begin asking her questions about her past or when she freely vents to you. It is in those moments where you tend to understand and see your mother in a different light. It is in those moments where you see not your mother but a woman. A woman, who was once your age, going through the stages of life.
I can keep on going, as there were so many goods points made throughout this book, but I won't because it's difficult to exert the importance and power those points have without the context and backstory. I would definitely recommend this book. I had gone in blind but came out in utter awe of what this book has made me feel and think.
An excerpt from the book that I enjoyed:
"There is no end to this story. As long as I live I will be redefining my daughterhood in the light of my motherhood. Because I am a writer, I will write about the process since writing is my way of staying sane. But there will never be a final incarnation of my mother, of my daughter, of me. We are all works in progress.”
September 22, 2021
An anthology of essays about mothers written by alumna of Barnard College and high school students who won the Barnard College essay contest.
As in most anthologies, some were wonderful and some were mediocre.
The alumna were mostly professional writers and their mothers were either up in age or already
dead.
Zora Neale Hurston writes of a mother who indulged her fanciful stories. She feels she let her mother down because on her mother's deathbed she was too young to stand up to the adults and fulfil her mother's instructions of how she wanted her death to be handled.
Betty Lifton wrote of the adopted child's struggle to learn about their birth mother and to reconcile the two mothers in their life.
Judy Mann writes about the anguish of watching one's mother drift deeper and deeper into dementia.
Many of the authors had strained relations with their mothers. Sometimes coming to understanding when they were older.
The high school students, many daughters of immigrants, admired their mothers working long hard days at menial jobs in order to make the American Dream come true for their children.
As in most anthologies, some were wonderful and some were mediocre.
The alumna were mostly professional writers and their mothers were either up in age or already
dead.
Zora Neale Hurston writes of a mother who indulged her fanciful stories. She feels she let her mother down because on her mother's deathbed she was too young to stand up to the adults and fulfil her mother's instructions of how she wanted her death to be handled.
Betty Lifton wrote of the adopted child's struggle to learn about their birth mother and to reconcile the two mothers in their life.
Judy Mann writes about the anguish of watching one's mother drift deeper and deeper into dementia.
Many of the authors had strained relations with their mothers. Sometimes coming to understanding when they were older.
The high school students, many daughters of immigrants, admired their mothers working long hard days at menial jobs in order to make the American Dream come true for their children.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews