The Mother Always Knows

I was prompted to tell my story after the person I’d loved for most of my life had betrayed my trust in the worst possible way. In sharing, perhaps a little light will be cast on the darkness of sexual abuse in families. Because it’s in the telling that the fear, which assists the deception and secrecy, is dispelled.

This collection presents a sustained critique of the leading mothering advice literature of the past decade or so, addressing issues related to pregnancy and childbirth, breastfeeding, theories and models of parenting (including attachment parenting, natural mothering, and feminist parenting), and the construct of the "good mother."

Sophie describes her relationships with a series of boys as she searches for Mr. Right.

While a mother can be defined as a creator, a nurturer, a protector—at the center of each mother is an individual who is attempting to manage her own fears, desires, and responsibilities in different and sometimes unexpected ways. In Know the Mother, author Desiree Cooper explores the complex archetype of the mother in all of her incarnations. In a collage of meditative stories, women—both black and white—find themselves wedged between their own yearnings and their roles as daughters, sisters, grandmothers, and wives. In this heart-wrenching collection, Cooper reveals that gender and race are often unanticipated interlopers in family life. An anxious mother reflects on her prenatal fantasies of suicide while waiting for her daughter to come home late one night. A lawyer miscarries during a conference call and must proceed as though nothing has happened. On a rare night out with her husband, a new mother tries convincing herself that everything is still the same. A politician’s wife’s thoughts turn to slavery as she contemplates her own escape: “Even Harriet Tubman had realized that freedom wasn’t worth the price of abandoning her family, so she’d come back home. She’d risked it all for love.” With her lyrical and carefully crafted prose, Cooper’s stories provide truths without sermon and invite empathy without sentimentality. Know the Mother explores the intersection of race and gender in vignettes that pull you in and then are gone in an instant. Readers of short fiction will appreciate this deeply felt collection.

From the caring to the crazy, a collection of wit and wisdom from real-life moms. Their words can bring love and laughter and make us feel warm and safe . . . or, occasionally, completely confused. Now, the author of Like My Father Always Said . . . has crowd-sourced quotable quotes from countless moms—and gathers them in this hilarious, heartwarming volume. “Every woman should have a nice gay man looking after her.” “You’re not hungry. Your mouth is bored.” “You like what you’re wearing?” “Have a drink, you’ll perk right up.” “Don’t be impressed by a man’s car—he may be living in it.” Covering a variety of subjects including “Questionable Wisdom,” “Unconditional Love,” and “Good Manners & Bad Behavior,” Like My Mother Always Said . . . is the perfect book for anyone whose mom never gave up on them.

A collection of those oh-so-familiar sayings handed down from one generation to another ... Remember all those motherly sayings that were the bane of your existence when you were young? those real beauties like 'Don't put that in your mouth - you don't know where it's been!', and 'You'll thank me for this one day!', and the unforgettable 'Because I am your mother and I say so!' Sound familiar? thought so ... My Mother Always Used to Say is a condensed volume of the many motherly sayings we all remember from our childhood. they made us wince, they made us cry - and more often than not, they made us do exactly what she asked of us. Redesigned for a new generation, this classic gift book is a charming collection of sayings, wisdom and wit to remind you that no-one will ever love you like your mother. Many of these motherly sayings have made their way into the vocabularies of their daughters as they have become mothers themselves. Mums everywhere have always said 'You'll understand when you have children of your own,' and it seems that, as usual, they were right.

AUTHORS’ DISCLAIMER: We are not in any way experts on parenting children with disabilities. Our goal is simply to share strategies that have worked for each of us in the event it may help those in a similar situation. If you’re different from us (i.e., you are bright or of the perfect persuasion), we advise you not to try the following at home. On a “perfection-preoccupied planet,” sisters Gina and Patty dare to speak up about the frustrations, sadness, and stigmas they face as parents of children with disabilities (one with Asperger’s syndrome, the other with bipolar disorder). This refreshingly frank book, which will alternately make you want to tear your hair out and laugh your head off, should be required reading for parents of disabled children. Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid provides wise and funny advice about how to: • Find a support group—either online or in your community • Ensure that your child gets the right in-school support • Deal with people—be they friends, family members, or strangers—who say or do insensitive things to you or your child • Find fun, safe, and inclusive extracurricular activities for your child • Battle your own grief and seek professional help if you need it • Keep the rest of the family intact in moments of crisis

A collection of feminist essays steeped in “Solnit’s unapologetically observant and truth-speaking voice on toxic, violent masculinity” (The Los Angeles Review). In a timely and incisive follow-up to her national bestseller Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit offers sharp commentary on women who refuse to be silenced, misogynistic violence, the fragile masculinity of the literary canon, the gender binary, the recent history of rape jokes, and much more. In characteristic style, “Solnit draw[s] anecdotes of female indignity or male aggression from history, social media, literature, popular culture, and the news . . . The main essay in the book is about the various ways that women are silenced, and Solnit focuses upon the power of storytelling—the way that who gets to speak, and about what, shapes how a society understands itself and what it expects from its members. The Mother of All Questions poses the thesis that telling women’s stories to the world will change the way that the world treats women, and it sets out to tell as many of those stories as possible” (The New Yorker). “There’s a new feminist revolution—open to people of all genders—brewing right now and Rebecca Solnit is one of its most powerful, not to mention beguiling, voices.”—Barbara Ehrenreich, New York Times–bestselling author of Natural Causes “Short, incisive essays that pack a powerful punch.” —Publishers Weekly “A keen and timely commentary on gender and feminism. Solnit’s voice is calm, clear, and unapologetic; each essay balances a warm wit with confident, thoughtful analysis, resulting in a collection that is as enjoyable and accessible as it is incisive.” —Booklist