Mother Daughter Duets
Description of the book
"Duets" examines a range of concerns in the relationships between mature daughters and their mothers growing old. We ourselves, the co-authors, are such a mother/daughter team. Shura is the older mother in her middle-eighties; Jennifer, the mature daughter in her early fifties. Both voices are represented in this book. Together, we address some of the concerns of this relationship and attempt to guide readers towards a heightened self-awareness of the individual and unique circumstances of their own relationships. The spotlight is focused on the dynamics of the adult mother/daughter interactions, highlighting the changes that occur during maturation.
To deepen and authenticate the perspectives of "Duets," we have sought the views of women of all ages. Some have been interviewed. Some have written their own stories in their own words. Still others preferred to talk with us and allow us to tell their stories as they dictated them. We have checked our presentations with them to be sure we heard them as they wanted to be heard. Sixty women are presented here; twenty of them are the older mothers, a group whose voices are rarely heard.
Our respondents live in various parts of the planet. They come from many areas of the United States, New York, California, Florida, the Midwest and others. There are also stories from women in England, Scotland, South Africa, Puerto Rico, China, and New Zealand to name a few. These women are ethnically diverse as well; they include Caucasian American and Europeans, Hispanic, African-American, Hawaiian, Chinese, and Japanese. We believe their contributions validate the basic approach of this book, namely, that the mother/daughter bond is never dissolved regardless of the impact, positive or negative, of life situations.
The women represented here are neither stars nor headliners. Essentially they come from middle-class and working class families. Some, not all, are professionally trained or educated. Some are in a fairly high economic bracket, most are in the middle-economic bracket and some are indeed in a very poor economic situation. They are quite different, yet the commonality of this bond becomes clear as we read their stories and understand their viewpoints against our own backdrop of experiences.
Every individual has a story to tell. Every person is unique and so is every story. We, the authors, feel privileged to have been permitted to know the experiences shared with us here. Sad, glad, funny, angry, - the whole gamut of human emotions is filtered through these tales.
We have combined the first person presentations with our commentaries and workbook exercises. Non-judgmental and descriptive, we offer these stories, presenting the teller's views blended with our own. The universality of the mother/daughter experience speaks for itself.
This book is appropriate for the general public as, mothers and daughters, and can also be useful to creative teachers and therapists as text.
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