The Other Mother Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle version is available to download in english. Read online anytime anywhere directly from your device. Click on the download button below to get a free pdf file of The Other Mother book. This book definitely worth reading, it is an incredibly well-written.
An "extraordinary" page-turning generational saga about a young man's search for a parent he never knew, and a moving portrait of motherhood, race, and the truths we hide in the name of family (Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple) Jenry Castillo is a musical prodigy, raised by a single mother in Miami. He arrives at Brown University on a scholarship—but also to learn more about his late father, Jasper Patterson, a famous ballet dancer who died tragically when Jenry was two. On his search, he meets his estranged grandfather, Winston Patterson, a legendary professor of African American history and a fixture at the Ivy League school, who explodes his world with one question: Why is Jenry so focused on Jasper, when it was Winston’s daughter, Juliet, who was romantically involved with Jenry’s mother? Juliet is the parent he should be looking for—his other mother. Revelation follows revelation as each member of Jenry’s family steps forward to tell the story of his origin, uncovering a web of secrecy that binds this family together even as it keeps them apart. Moving seamlessly between the past and the present, The Other Mother is a daring, ambitious novel that celebrates the complexities of love and resilience—masterfully exploring the intersections of race, class, and sexuality; the role of biology in defining who belongs to whom; and the complicated truth of what it means to be a family.
I'm Jen Brister: stand-up comedian, middle-aged adolescent, and mum. But not that mum - I'm the other one. 'Hysterical, important, moving, wonderful' Sara Pascoe Confused? Two years ago, my partner (a woman - we're not solicitors) gave birth to twins. (I know! Believe me, I'm still reeling myself.) Like every new parent, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. Add 'gay' and 'non-biological' to the mix and what do you get? Not a weird box of detergent, but a panicked beige lesbian desperately googling, 'Will my babies love me?' at 3 a.m. A very funny, very honest look at parenting life, from IVF awfulness to crying over the pages of sleep training manuals. A perfect gift for any parent who feels they don't fit the mould of a traditional family. *LONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI PRIZE* 'Damned funny. You'll find the pages of this book brimming with rich and wonderful proof' Hannah Gadsby 'A side-splittingly honest look at the grim realities of same-sex parenting' Diva
Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author “An atmospheric and harrowing tale, richly literary in complexity but ripe with all the crazed undertones, confusions, and forebodings inherent in the gothic genre. Recommend this riveting, du Maurier–like novel to fans of Jennifer McMahon.” — Booklist (starred review) From the author of the internationally bestselling The Lake of Dead Languages comes a gripping novel about madness, motherhood, love, and trust. When Daphne Marist and her infant daughter, Chloe, pull up the gravel drive to the home of Daphne’s new employer, it feels like they’ve entered a whole new world. Tucked in the Catskills, the stone mansion looks like something out of a fairy tale, its lush landscaping hiding the view of the mental asylum just beyond its border. Daphne secured the live-in position using an assumed name and fake credentials, telling no one that she’s on the run from a controlling husband who has threatened to take her daughter away. Daphne’s new life is a far cry from the one she had in Westchester where, just months before, she and her husband welcomed little Chloe. From the start, Daphne tries to be a good mother, but she’s plagued by dark moods and intrusive thoughts that convince her she’s capable of harming her own daughter. When Daphne is diagnosed with Post Partum Mood Disorder, her downward spiral feels unstoppable—until she meets Laurel Hobbes. Laurel, who also has a daughter named Chloe, is everything Daphne isn’t: charismatic, sophisticated, fearless. They immediately form an intense friendship, revealing secrets to one another they thought they’d never share. Soon, they start to look alike, dress alike, and talk alike, their lives mirroring one another in strange and disturbing ways. But Daphne realizes only too late that being friends with Laurel will come at a very shocking price—one that will ultimately lead her to that towering mansion in the Catskills where terrifying, long-hidden truths will finally be revealed....
With a keen eye for what pulls us apart and what brings us together, The Other Mother shines a light on the complexities of mothers trying to balance it all. Amanda is a successful book editor at a prominent publishing house in New York City. Thea is a stay-at-home mother of three who has never really left the community in which she grew up. Eight months’ pregnant with her first child, Amanda and her husband move next door to Thea and her family, and the two women find themselves both drawn to and repelled by each other and their opposing choices in the constant struggle to balance career and family life. When a disaster forces Amanda and her family to take refuge in Thea’s home, the tensions simmering between them are forced to the surface and rise even further when Thea fills in as Amanda’s temporary nanny. But once dead animals start appearing on Thea’s front porch and she thinks that surely they're a macabre gift from Amanda, then the battle with “the other mother” begins in earnest. Gwendolen Gross has created a stunning, dark, suspenseful novel that is as brave as it is shocking.
When a young girl ventures through a hidden door, she finds another life with shocking similarities to her own. Coraline has moved to a new house with her parents and she is fascinated by the fact that their 'house' is in fact only half a house! Divided into flats years before, there is a brick wall behind a door where once there was a corridor. One day it is a corridor again and the intrepid Coraline wanders down it. And so a nightmare-ish mystery begins that takes Coraline into the arms of counterfeit parents and a life that isn't quite right. Can Coraline get out? Can she find her real parents? Will life ever be the same again?
Confessions of the Other Mother by Harlyn Aizley Pdf
One of the few books to explore lesbian parenting, these “hilarious, heart-wrenching, painfully honest tales of mommyhood” celebrate the ups and downs of being an LGBTQIA+ parent in the 21st century (Joey Solloway, creator of Transparent). After author Harlyn Aizley gave birth to her daughter, she watched in unanticipated horror as her partner scooped up the baby and said, “I'm your new mommy!” While they both had worked to find the perfect sperm donor, Aizley had spent nine months carrying the baby and hours in labor, so how could her partner claim to be their child's mommy? Many diapers later, Aizley began to appreciate the complexity of her partner’s new role as the other mother. Together, they searched for stories about families like their own, in which a woman has chosen to forgo her own birth experience so that she might support her partner in hers. They found very few. Now, in Confessions of the Other Mother, Aizley has put together an exciting collection of personal stories by women like her partner who are creating new parenting roles, redefining motherhood, and reshaping our view of two-parent families. Contributors include Hillary Goodridge, who was one of the lead plaintiffs in the case for same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, stand-up comedian Judy Gold, and psychologist and author Suzanne M. Johnson. This candid peek into a previously unexamined side of lesbian parenting is full of stories that are sometimes humorous, sometimes moving, but at all times celebratory. Each parenting tale sheds light on the many facets of motherhood, offering gay and straight readers alike a deeper understanding of what it means to love and parent in the twenty-first century.
Nothing is as fragile as the memory of a child... Malone, a child barely four years old, starts to claim that his mother isn't his real mum. It seems impossible: his mother has birth certificates, photos of him as a child and even the paediatrician confirms this is her child. The school psychologist is the only one who believes him. Desperate to find out the truth, he approaches Marianne Augresse, a police captain with better things to do with her time: hot on the heels of a a major criminal, she doesn't think the wild fantasies of a child are something she should worry about. But what if she's wrong?
On a spring day in 1993, Nancy Abrams helped her daughter dress for day care, packed her lunch, and said good-bye. Next she drove to court, where she learned that in the eyes of the law she was nothing more than “a biological stranger” to the child she helped bring into the world and raise. That was the last time she would see her daughter or hear her voice for five years. The Other Mother begins as Abrams and her female lover decide to start a family together. With giddy anticipation, they search for a sperm donor, shop for baby clothes and crib, and attend childbirth classes. But despite their high hopes, the relationship begins to fall apart, and they separate when their daughter is a toddler. Problems between the two intensify until, shortly before her daughter’s fifth birthday, Abrams loses custody. In unprecedented depth, Abrams’s compelling narrative examines the social, legal, and political implications of gay and lesbian parenting. Her haunting memoir asks the question, “What makes a mother?” It is a question that biological parents, co-parents, adoptive parents, step-parents, and divorced parents must each answer in their own way. In telling one woman’s story, The Other Mother makes a solid case for legal protections, including marriage, for lesbian and gay families.
A story of fertility, feminism, and family Jenn Berney was one of those people who knew she was destined for motherhood—it wasn't a question of if, but when. So when she and her wife Kelly decided to start building their family, they took the next logical step: they went to a fertility clinic. But they soon found themselves entrenched in a medical establishment that didn't know what to do with people like them. With no man factoring into their relationship, doctors were at best embarrassed and at worst disparaging of the couple. Soon Jenn found herself stepping outside of the system determined to disregard her. Looking into the history of fertility and the LGBTQ+ community, she saw echoes of her own struggle. For decades queer people have defied the patriarchy and redefined the nuclear family—and Jenn was walking in their footsteps. Through the ups-and-downs of her own journey, Jenn reflects on a turbulent past that has led her to this point and a bright future worth fighting for. With clarity, determination, and hope, The Other Mothers gives us a wonderful glimpse into the many ways we can become family.
In 1965, Carol Schaefer was 19, a freshman in college and deeply in love. She was also pregnant. When her boyfriend's family opposed their marrying, her parents sequestered her in a Catholic home for unwed mothers a state away, where she was isolated and where secrecy prevailed. She had only to give up her baby for her sin to be forgiven and then all would soon be forgotten she was told. The child, in turn, would be placed with a “good” family, instead of having his life ruined by the stigma of illegitimacy. Carol tried to find the strength to oppose this dogma but her shame had become too deep. “The first time I looked deep into my son's eyes, I felt like a criminal. As I unwrapped his hospital blanket and took in the heady fragrance of a newborn, I feared the nurses or the sisters would come in and slap me for contaminating my own son.” Finding no way out, she signed the fateful papers leaving her son in the hands of strangers, but with a vow to her baby she would find him one day. For years, Carol struggled to forget and live the “normal” life promised, not understanding the consequences of the trauma she'd endured. On his eighteenth birthday, she set out to find him, although the law denied access to records. Her search became a spiritual quest to reclaim her own lost self, as she came to understand the emotional and psychological wounds she and other mothers like her had endured. Against all odds she succeeded in finding him and discovered that in many ways they had never really been apart. With her son's encouragement and his adoptive mother's cooperation, she tells their story.REVIEWS: “Strength, sadness, joy, and the power of undeniable love abound in this book.” 500 Great Books by Women (A Penguin Books Reader's Guide, 1994) The list of authors goes back to the 11th century.Nominated “One of the best books of 1991.” American Library Association. “... flows as forcefully as the finest fiction. ... This 'ten-hankie-read' never descends into sentimentality but simply reveals the unvarnished truths of the human heart.” Wilson Library Bulletin“This wrenching account, covering a range of adoption issues, is a moving testament to the bonding power of motherhood.” Publishers Weekly“An astonishing revelation of the emotions that come into play throughout the adoptive process - a must read for all concerned.” Kirkus ReviewsLiterary Guild Alternate Selection.“Inspiring ... a heart tugger.” Patricia Holt, San Francisco Chronicle“A chronicle of a time with the starkest of emotions revealed ... Readers quickly understand the trauma that lingers on deep in the hearts of birthmothers every day of their lives.” Elliot Bay Booknotes“It should be a must read for anyone who considers adoption the 'easy' answer to an unwanted pregnancy.” The Philadelphia Inquirer“As she experiences pain and love, you're on that roller coaster with her, as if the life she lived was yours.” St. Petersburg Times“Poignant and powerful, The Other Mother shatters the myth that unwed mothers, unprepared for the sacrifice they make, go on to lead normal and untouched lives.” Booklist“Any woman who has gone through any part of her experience, or has been close to somebody who has, will attest to the story's authenticity.” The Washington Post“I recommend it with all my heart. Its courage, integrity and love make it a treasure. ... not only for adoptive families and birth families, it is for everyone who longs to know how deep the levels are that connect us, and how precious.” Gary Zukav, The Seat of the Soul“... addresses intimately the experience of a Birthmother as no other book has - or probably ever will. Expertly written.” Jone Carlson, Editor People Searching News“Courageous, moving and heartening.” Betty Jean Lifton, Journey of the Adopted Self“A wonderful book. From my professional perspective the book is right on target.” Reubon Pannor, coauthor, The Adoption Triangle
Longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize A New York Times Notable Book A Library Journal Best Book of 2021 A “marvelous…superbly effective” (The New Yorker) debut novel about a young woman coming of age with a dazzling yet damaged mother who lived and loved in extremes. Met by rave reviews in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and more, this stunning translation of Violaine Huisman’s “witty, immersive autofiction showcases a Parisian childhood with a charismatic, depressed parent” (Oprah Daily). Beautiful and magnetic, Catherine, a.k.a. “Maman,” smokes too much, drives too fast, laughs too hard, and loves too extravagantly, and her daughter Violaine wouldn’t have it any other way. But when Maman is hospitalized after a third divorce and a breakdown, everything changes. Even as Violaine and her sister long for their mother’s return, once she’s back Maman’s violent mood swings and flagrant disregard for personal boundaries soon turn their home into an emotional landmine. As the story of Catherine’s own traumatic childhood and adolescence unfolds, the pieces come together to form an indelible portrait of a mother as irresistible as she is impossible, as triumphant as she is transgressive. With spectacular ferocity of language, a streak of dark humor, and stunning emotional bravery, The Book of Mother is an exquisitely wrought story of a mother’s dizzying heights and devastating lows, and a daughter who must hold her memory close in order to surrender, and finally move on.
A school psychologist investigates a four-year-old’s claim that he isn’t his mother’s son in this psychological tale by the author of After the Crash. Four-year-old Malone Moulin is haunted by nightmares of being handed over to a complete stranger and begins claiming his mother is not his real mother. His teachers at school say that it is all in his imagination as his mother has a birth certificate, photos of him as a child and even the pediatrician confirms Malone is her son. The school psychologist, Vasily, believes otherwise as the child vividly describes an exchange between two women. Vasily begins recording their conversations and reinterprets the creatures Malone uses in the childish tales he recounts to his stuffed toy to piece the story together as much as he can. Convinced that Malone is telling the truth, Vasile approaches police commander Marianne Augresse with the case, who has been searching for a gang of thieves that robbed a luxury store and left a couple dead in the neighboring town of Deauville to no avail. Not knowing why a child would lie and with perhaps her own maternal and protective instinct kicking in, Marianne takes Vasile’s plead for help seriously. Marianne and her team soon discern that Malone’s memory is in the hands of those around him; the cold members of the Moulin family and the people that they associate themselves with. With Malone’s recollection of the past quickly fading to give way to pirates, animals and other more innocent thoughts children have at his age, Marianne is desperate to find a through line. Well-crafted and showcasing the fragility of a child’s cognition, The Double Mother is a riveting investigation to follow. Praise for The Double Mother “Gripping . . . may set a record for number of plot twists between two covers. . . . A long book that goes quickly, The Double Mother, zestily translated by Sam Taylor, is likely to stay in your mind for years to come, even if you don’t have a stuffed animal to coach you.” —Washington Post “Brainy, exciting, and humane.” —Kirkus Reviews “Bussi multiplies the red herrings, tangles the plot strings, plays with illusions and subterfuge. He is the master of the trompe-l’œil novel.” —ELLE Magazine “Bussi is back, with his breathless style, to give us something to chew over.” —Le Point
“I was 100% hooked right from the start… A non-stop, heart-pounding suspenseful read!… Captivated me from page one all the way through… WOW!!” Misty’s Corner Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It’s a crisp spring morning when the small-town community around Briar Ridge Elementary School is shattered by devastating news. Bright and shy five-year-old Nicole has disappeared at recess. When the phone call comes, Gia Marchand is suddenly living every parent’s worst nightmare. She feels like time has stopped and she struggles to truly understand it: she dropped her daughter at the school gate this morning and now Nicole is gone. In her big house all alone, she breaks down. Her best friend was in the playground at recess but when Gia begs desperately for any details, the woman won’t look her in the eye. Surely her closest friend wouldn’t betray her? Then Detective Jo Fournier says her husband was in the school building this morning but now she can’t reach him. Gia is left completely alone with her grief. As time slips away and Nicole hasn’t been found, Gia becomes utterly terrified: is she finally paying the price for a secret that she has been hiding for years? Or is someone she thought she could trust committing the ultimate betrayal? From USA Today bestseller M.M. Chouinard, The Other Mothers is a completely addictive psychological thriller that will not let you go until you turn the last heart-thumping page! Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, The Stepdaughter and The Girl on the Train. Readers are utterly addicted to The Other Mothers! “Wow, wow, wow!!!!! I’m speechless. Did I really just read that????… I truly would’ve never guessed it in a million years.” Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Holy buckets… Grabs you by the throat and won’t let go. There are not enough stars to accurately label how genuinely excellent this book is.” Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Right off the bat you are pulled in and are immediately hooked… Took me a while to get my racing heart back under control again.” Once Upon A Time Book Blog ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Addictive… Had me gripped from page one… I couldn’t stop reading… I can wholeheartedly recommend it.” Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Totally blew me away… I especially loved the ending. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined it.” Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A complete shocker… An absolute page-turner I could not put down.” Goodreads Reviewer “Absolutely thrilling from start to finish. A rollercoaster of a read. Heart thumpingly, stay-up-all-night-reading good. Loved this brilliant book.” Renita D’Silva, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Believe me you'll be stunned… Awesome.” Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This tender novel tells a universal story of struggle, loss, and ultimately, survival. Arcelia Perez left Puerto Rico for the American dream, but within a few years she's living on the tough side of Providence, Rhode Island with three children, no job, and a powerful heroin addiction. Through rotating narration, we meet a diverse cast of characters—most notably Arcelia's charming, street-savvy son, Cristo, and his teacher, Miss Valentín—whose futures are inextricably linked as they strive to succeed against the odds. Born in Boston and raised in Providence and rural Minnesota, Rachel M. Harper is a graduate of Brown University and the master's program at USC. Her poems and short fiction have been published in the Carolina Review, Chicago Review, African American Review, Prairie Schooner, and the anthology Mending the World: Stories of Family by Contemporary Black Writers. She was chosen as one of Borders' "Best Original Voices" for her first novel, Brass Ankle Blues, which was also selected by Target's "Break Out Books" program. Harper has received fellowships from Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony, and won the 2002 Fellowship in Fiction from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. She teaches fiction at Spalding University's brief-residency MFA in Writing Program.