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A review by sonalipawar26
What We Carry by Maya Shanbhag Lang
5.0
'Maybe at our most maternal, we aren’t mothers at all. We’re daughters, reaching back in time for the mothers we wish we’d had and then finding ourselves.'
—Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir
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Most families are dysfunctional, some more than the others. And to seek some modicum of normalcy, we adopt certain roles; even idolize other family members to provide us with comfort. For Maya Shanbhag Lang, her comfort was her mother. She was her home. But the pedestal Lang had put her beloved mother on started to break, slowly and heartbreakingly, when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
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I'm not a mother yet, don't know if/when I'll be one. But this memoir opened my eyes and heart to countless emotions and struggles we not only carry but also burden others with.
This absolutely beautiful memoir is peppered with little nuggets of wisdom and eye-opening situations that will stay with you for a long time. This memoir is an honest portrayal of mother-daughter relationships, which is, in many ways, feminist in its theme as well. I admired the way Lang talked about how women, as mothers, don't have to sacrifice themselves for their children, rather show them the way by following their own dreams and choosing themselves; moreover, be open about their struggles and feelings. Because as she put it, sometimes even strength can be a weakness.
•
From seamless writing to soul-stirring moments, I couldn't find a flaw in this book.
Watching your loved ones wither in front you is difficult, it makes you wonder how they were in the spring of their lives because we've only seen their winter. It made me ruminate a lot, and I suggest every mother and every daughter to read this gem.
—Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir
•
Most families are dysfunctional, some more than the others. And to seek some modicum of normalcy, we adopt certain roles; even idolize other family members to provide us with comfort. For Maya Shanbhag Lang, her comfort was her mother. She was her home. But the pedestal Lang had put her beloved mother on started to break, slowly and heartbreakingly, when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
•
I'm not a mother yet, don't know if/when I'll be one. But this memoir opened my eyes and heart to countless emotions and struggles we not only carry but also burden others with.
This absolutely beautiful memoir is peppered with little nuggets of wisdom and eye-opening situations that will stay with you for a long time. This memoir is an honest portrayal of mother-daughter relationships, which is, in many ways, feminist in its theme as well. I admired the way Lang talked about how women, as mothers, don't have to sacrifice themselves for their children, rather show them the way by following their own dreams and choosing themselves; moreover, be open about their struggles and feelings. Because as she put it, sometimes even strength can be a weakness.
•
From seamless writing to soul-stirring moments, I couldn't find a flaw in this book.
Watching your loved ones wither in front you is difficult, it makes you wonder how they were in the spring of their lives because we've only seen their winter. It made me ruminate a lot, and I suggest every mother and every daughter to read this gem.