Research Catalog
Our mothers' spirits : on the death of mothers and the grief of men : an anthology
- Title
- Our mothers' spirits : on the death of mothers and the grief of men : an anthology / edited by Bob Blauner.
- Publication
- New York : Regan Books, ©1997.
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1 Item
| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text | Use in library | BF575.G7 O95 1997 | Off-site |
Details
- Additional Authors
- Blauner, Bob.
- Description
- xx, 315 pages : illustrations; 22 cm
- Summary
- It is the enduring bond between mothers and their sons that is explored in this astounding, emotion-packed collection of essays and poems. Editor Bob Blauner has assembled a diverse group of writers on a topic shared by them all: their sorrow upon the death of a mother and what it means to continue on without her physical presence. Featuring works from some of our greatest writers, including John Updike, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Gus Lee, Russell Baker, and John Cheever, this heartfelt anthology also includes original and provocative essays by some of America's rising stars, such as Peter Najarian and Juan Felipe Herrera. Issues such as the loss of a mother who dies too young or, in contrast, the painful sight of an aging mother in decline are explored with great insight. Whether the end comes naturally, through euthanasia, or tragically and unexpectedly, how the loss is experienced is handled with great sensitivity. A highly emotional event whether we are twelve years old or fifty years old, a mother's demise causes us to question our values, our reasons for existence. Although this momentous rite of passage certainly transforms each of us, the message of this compassionate, deeply moving book is that a mother's passing does not end our relationship with her - for her identity has become our own, our life her greatest gift.
- Subject
- Contents
- 1. Before Death: The Aged Mother. Secrets / W. D. Ehrhart. Which Visit Will Be My Last? / John Updike. Where's Russell? / Russell Baker. The Artist's Mother / Peter Najarian -- 2. When a Mother Dies Young. Journal Page / Hank Heifetz. Mah-mee / Gus Lee. Remember / Norman Sasowsky. Making My Mother Real / Timothy Beneke. Unspoken Lessons from an Early Death / Haki R. Madhubuti. Sincerely / Nick Davis -- 3. Good Deaths, Bad Deaths. Two Untitled Poems / Donald Hall. Dying Is Hard Labor / T. S. Matthews. Melanoma / Martin Duberman. "Don't Be Scared, Issur!" / Kirk Douglas. The Life and Death of My Mother / Allen Wheelis. Mama's Boy / Bob Blauner -- 4. Taking Her Own Life: Suicide and Euthanasia. I Want to Sing: Fifteen Poems About My Mother / Gary Young. A Death of One's Own / Andrew Solomon. Mother's Last Request: A Not So Fond Farewell / B. J. Nelson. The Accident / Daniel Oberti -- 5. Regret. Surrogate / David Ray. Letter, Much Too Late / Wallace Stegner. A Mother's Presence / Samuel G. Freedman. A Form of Matricide / Art Buchwald. from "Mama" / Rafael Jesus Gonzalez. The Colored Cemetery / Henry Louis Gates, Jr. -- 6. Alienation. Moonset, Gloucester / Charles Olson. When I Think of Mother / John Cheever. Unhappy Memories / Henry Miller. The Child / Nelson Algren -- 7. Reconceiving the Mother. The Routine Things Around the House / Stephen Dunn. The Mother I Carry With Me / Fred Moramarco. The Women / Hilton Als. Loyalties and Betrayals / David Wellman -- 8. Her Spirit Lives On. Delia Rexroth / Kenneth Rexroth. Lucha Is Short for Light / Juan Felipe Herrera. A Talent for Love / Mark O'Brien. Speaking in Silences / Steve Masover. My Mother at the Piano / John Boe. Lilacs / J. Herman Blake. What Am I: I Am My Mother's Spirit / Gardiner Harris. Holding Ava / Jess Walter.
- ISBN
- 0060392266
- 9780060392260
- LCCN
- 97032421
- OCLC
- ocm37854174
- 37854174
- SCSB-352392
- Owning Institutions
- Princeton University Library