In Praise of Mothers: A Literary Anthology

This literary bouquet of 14 stories in honor of motherhood, which will arrive in bookstores in time for Mother's Day, presents a range of emotion far more inclusive and complex than featured in the average Hallmark card. Collected by Golden ( A Literary Christmas ; A Literary Feast ), the tales celebrate maternity in many forms, not hesitating to deal with the difficulties of family bonds. Stories by William Maxwell and Laurie Colwin chronicle the wonder of birth, describing how ordinary women become something extraordinary as mothers. Bertolt Brecht's ``The Augsburg Chalk Circle'' is a cunning retelling of the story of Solomon and the baby claimed by two mothers. Jane Goodall's detailed observations of two chimpanzees with very different nurturing styles bolsters her almost too pat thesis that the playful attentive mother produces successful, confident offspring but the aloof mother produces antisocial, fearful children. Tales by Louise Erdrich and David Leavitt present adults dealing with aging but courageous, even heroic mothers. Francine Prose's offering limns the bittersweet joys of single parenthood, while Charles Baxter and Alice Walker describe determined defenders and educators of their children, though possibly to the exasperation of same. All the tales are worthy of inclusion in nonthematic collections, and all remind the reader how moving and revelatory a short story can be. One cavil: the collection is heavily weighted toward English-speaking, white mothers, with only two pieces describing non-white women. (May)