Other People's Mothers

A nostalgic and poignant coming-of-agestory told through one young woman’s relationships with the mother figures inher life

Relationshipsbetween mothers and daughters can often be complicated and fraught. Even in thebest of circumstances, many of us may have grown up curious about the mothersof our friends—looking to them, learning from them (for better or for worse), andwondering what it would be like to be a part of their families.

OtherPeople’s Mothersis a collection of interconnected, autobiographical essays that explore therelationship between a daughter, her mother, and the other mothers present intheir lives. In this coming-of-age memoir, Julie Marie Wade traces a nexus offemale influences on her formative years in the ’80s and ’90s.Through words and actions, the women around her communicate powerful and oftencontradictory messages about class, religion, education, and morality, holdingenormous power over Wade’s journey toward adulthood.

Inexpanding her exploration of motherhood and daughterhood to include these “othermothers,” Wade takes a new and surprising kaleidoscopic approach to herportrayals of family life. This book reveals a young woman in the late twentiethcentury grappling with gendered expectations, beauty and body ideals, andcomplex messages about who she is permitted—or destined—to become.