Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps edited by Dave Isay

When I picked up Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps edited by Dave Isay I had no idea what StoryCorps was or what I was in store for. StoryCorps is an American project, starting 2003, which gives ordinary people the opportunity to interview each other and be recorded for forty minutes. Two copies are made of these oral histories, one is given to the participants and the other is stored away for future generations at the Library of Congress. For Mom, Isay selected from more than fifty thousand interviews particularly memorable ones in which the person talks about their mother in some way. They are slightly edited for grammar and clarity, but each story maintains the distinct voice of the narrator, and at the end of the stories a photo of the participants is included. The non-fiction book is divided three sections: wisdom, devotion, and enduring love, with the histories separated based on the underlying theme. I thought it was a great way to emphasize three very important characteristics of a good mother.

The stories included in Mom definitely tend to be those that are unique or interesting in some way- a woman who married her daughter-in-law's father, one who gave birth to quintuplets over twenty years ago, a woman who finds her adopted son after fifty years apart- so they definitely don't blur together which was one of my initial concerns. Also, because they are basically transcripts of oral histories, as a reader it really feels like you are getting to know the person through their unique voice. Because of the huge array of stories and people included in the book despite its short length (only about 200 pages) I feel like every reader would be able to relate to at least a few stories within the book. I also loved how Isay didn't just include one type of mother, but also adoptive mothers, stepmothers, and mothers whose child had passed away. The stories range from humourous to heartbreaking, but they are connected by their ability to touch your heart. Overall, Mom is a great book which leaves you with an important message, to ask questions and make memories before it is too late.

Release Date: April 10th, 2010
Pages: 208
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This review was a part of TLC Book Tours. Click here to read what other tour hosts thought. For the purpose of this review I was provided with a copy of the book which did not require a positive review. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own.