cover image Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from the StoryCorps Project

Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from the StoryCorps Project

, . . Penguin Press, $21.95 (186pp) ISBN 978-1-59420-261-2

In time for Mother's Day, Isay brings a satisfying second collection of StoryCorps selections after the bestselling Listening Is an Act of Love . Throughout 30,000 recorded interviews by everyday Americans are numerous memories of parents, and among the many mothers who share their stories in this collection are mothers of every variety—single, working, stay-at-home, with one child or a dozen. A couple describe an unexpected camaraderie between their mothers: one American, the other Ethiopian: “My mom would speak in English, and your mom would speak in Amharic, and then they'd laugh and throw their hands up.” A mother of 12 tells her youngest, age 12, about her oldest, a soldier killed in Iraq. Reunited at age 60 with the son she reluctantly gave away, Hilory Boucher tells him what happened as she rode away from a Boston home for unwed mothers: “You were handed off to a social worker at a stop on the Merritt Parkway, with your pink bunny and your layette.” Readers will encounter an emotional range from heart-wrenching to inspirational in these compelling maternal accounts. Photos. (May)