Tam May

Lessons From My Mother's Life: Post World War II Short Fiction (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

How happy was the 1950s happy housewife?

Women in post-war America were supposed to have it all: generous husbands with great jobs, comfortable suburban homes with nice yards and two-car garages, and all the latest gadgets to make their housework easier.

The pain and horror of World War II were over. The economy was booming and America was becoming a world leader. American women were to play a role in America's prosperity, the role they were always meant to play: supporting mothers, wives, and daughters. Theirs was a life of ease. They were the fairytale princesses with the happy ending.

The women's magazines told them so. The advertisements for laundry detergent and TV dinners told them so. The doctors who treated their children's colds told them so.

Women in 1950s America were sold a bill of goods about their purpose in life and their futures. Some bought it and some didn't.

This book is about the women who didn't.

These are not nostalgic stories about my mother's life or your mother's life. They dig deep into the lives of five fictional characters who knew in the back of their minds that their lives weren't happy and they wanted something more.

In "Fumbling Toward Freedom," Susan reconsiders her plans for an early marriage after visiting an art exhibit one Saturday afternoon.

"Mother of Mischief" tells of Mary, cast in a maternal role since childhood, who discovers her true worth after a tragic episode in her loveless marriage brings her past to light.

The story "Soul Destinations" is about Joan's encounter with a has-been musician on a train which launches her soul's journey.

In "Devoted," Rachel's Aunt Amelia teaches her about the consequences of losing her identity when a woman takes her role as caretaker too seriously.

And, finally, there is "Two Sides of Life," a story based on a true incident in the author's mother's life. Leanne's unexpected bond with the wife of her husband's lab assistant shows her the true meaning of life just at the dawn of the women's movement.

Five stories. Five women. Five roads that will lead to self-identity and fulfillment.

These are not true stories about my mother. But they could be. They could be stories about your mother or your grandmother or even your great-grandmother. They are stories about the women many of us know.

Purchase Lessons From My Mother's Life today and walk in the shoes of five American women struggling with what Betty Friedan called "The Problem That Has No Name."

What reviewers are saying:

"Smart, interesting and down-to-earth, these are stories that are close to the heart of every woman either because they lived through something similar, or because, as the title says, our mothers did."

"Great short stories that really do speak to what women had to face mid 20th century."

"I know my mother absolutely could have personally dealt with some of the experiences described in the book!"

This book also includes an Author's Note and a bonus chapter from The Specter, the first book of the author's Gilded Age saga, the Waxwood Series.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Dreambook Press
• Erscheinungstermin: 29. März 2020
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780998197999
• Artikelnr.: 58681554

Autorenporträt

Writing has been Tam May's voice since the age of fourteen. She writes stories set in the past that feature sassy and sensitive women characters. Her fiction gives readers a sense of justice for women, both the living and the dead. Tam's stories are set mostly around the Bay Area because she adores sourdough bread, Ghirardelli chocolate, and San Francisco history.

Tam is the author of the Adele Gossling Mysteries which take place in the early 20th century and features suffragist and epistolary expert Adele Gossling whose talent for solving crimes doesn't sit well with the town's more conventional ideas about women's place.

Tam has also written historical fiction about women breaking loose from the social and psychological expectations of their era. She has a 4-book historical coming-of-age series set in the 1890s titled the Waxwood Series and a post-World War II short story collection available.

Although Tam left her heart in San Francisco, she lives in the Midwest because it's cheaper. When she's not writing, she's devouring everything classic (books, films, art, music) and concocting yummy vegan dishes.

For more information about Tam May and her books, check out her website at www.tammayauthor.com.