One on the Seesaw: The Ups and Downs of a Single-Parent Family

The Pearson household consists of two girls and two boys and their mother, a single parent. The story of the author's marriage, which ended in divorce and AIDS-related death, was the subject of Good-bye, I Love You . Now, Pearson recalls the 10 years during which she combined a writing career with single parenting, experiencing the trials and joys that accompany the rearing of a typically lively brood. She celebrates family in all its permutations so evident in contemporary society. Her children's problems at school, their scrapes with authority, their successes despite detours along the way are microcosms of other families' experiences, distinguished only by the loneliness of a father's absence. Yet, buttressed by strong faith and the practical support of the Mormon community in the San Francisco Bay Area, Pearson exemplifies the spirit that keeps a family together as she shares her one-parent viewpoint. Author tour. (October)