Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Mother management

How do you get on with your mother? This book convinced me that having issues with your mother is perfectly normal. Psychotherapist, Alyce Faye Cleese interviewed over 100 well-known people about their mothers. This included Michael Caine, Helena Bonham Carter, John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mia Farrow, Peter Gabriel, Hugh Hefner, Steve Martin, Liam Neeson, Michael Palin, Colin Powell, Keith Richards and others from various fields. They each had one thing in common—issues with their mother.

The book is entertaining as it includes many funny anecdotes as well as a few sad stories. It helped me to be more at peace with my mother. I could see my relationship with my mother reflected in some of the stories. I recommend this book to anyone who has a mother. Also, I recommend it to anyone who is a mother, no matter how old your children are, as it may help you to avoid some of the negativity that is commonly inflicted onto children by mothers who of course are only trying to do their best.

Cleese, Alyce Faye and Bates, Brian
How to manage your mother—understanding the most difficult, complicated and fascinating relationship in your life

Metro Books, London, 1999
Regan Books, New York, 2000