Certain Things About My Mother: Daughters Speak

Christina Pike is a member of the Evaluation Division, Department of
Education, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

In this brutally honest book, seven authors take a cold hard look at
their mothers and write candidly about their teenage years. Editor Susan
Musgrave introduces the book and recalls those talks with mom that
didn’t really say a whole lot. Melanie Little (“Certain Things About
My Mother”) writes about the fights between her and her mother, while
Nancy Lee (“If You Can’t Be Good”) remembers her strict upbringing
and rebellion that took the form of forbidden boyfriends. Priscila Uppal
(“Wherever You Are”) writes about a mother who abandons her daughter
and husband, leaving behind many unanswered questions.

Sue Goyette (“The Silence That Speaks”) tries to understand her
mother’s method of quietly allowing her the freedom to make her own
way while growing up. Hiromi Goto (“So Much”) learns from her mother
that “family is family.” Taien Ng-Chan (“The Sound of the Dishes
in the Sink”) remembers episodes from her teenage years: Suburbia, My
New Friend, My New Church, My New Boyfriend, The New Mean, and Choices.
Finally, Gayla Reid (“What You Don’t Know”) writes about the
hidden meaning in the things that daughter and mother talk about. Highly
recommended.