Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother
Book Club Discussion Guide
1. In many of the memoirs did you notice how some mothers’ care extended beyond the home? What were the underlying attitudes that motivated these mothers to care for others not related to them? What examples can you find? What is the relevance of their actions for the larger community?
2. In the culture of the ‘50s, women were expected to stay home to keep house and care for the family. How do you think those societal expectations affected mother-daughter relationships for the next generation growing up in the 70s and 80s?
3. All of the essays highlight the importance of mother-daughter relationships. Why is this an important bond? Why do you think this relationship is undervalued in our present day culture?
4. Some of the mothers or mother figures overcame severe challenges in their lives: poverty, divorce, racism, repressive governments and war, the status of a refugee or immigrant, and chronic illness. How did they cope with these challenges and survive? How do you describe their dominant strength?
5. Several essays speak of Mother’s ability to ease situations in the family. What were some of these techniques? Do mothers continue to practice these today? Why or why not?
6. In the Mother Love section, we read how the mother or mother figure was inspiring. What are some of the reasons? Why were these women so memorable as role models?
7. In the Mother Loss section, authors write about how they either lost or became separated from their mothers or mother figures. What are some lessons the daughters learned, both positive and negative?
8. In both sections of the book, authors describe gifts their mothers gave them. What are some of those gifts? What are the gifts your mother gave you?
9. Did the memoirs about mothers and daughters who found expression in the arts make you wonder how central art is to our mother-daughter legacy?
Some examples are: “Life is What You Make It Be,” “A Moon Song,” “Liebestraum: A Daughter’s Reflection,” “Let the Heart Speak,” and “No Tears.”
10. In what memoirs do you find your own mother? What characteristics of your mother are in common with these mother figures?
11. Free write a key memory of your mother or mother figure and explain why this memory is important to you. Let your pen, pencil, or keyboard write your memory without stopping for ten minutes. Read it aloud.
