Phil Jourdan is the author of the memoir Praise of Motherhood. I had the opportunity to read this touching (cliche, but true) memoir. Read through my review to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including $500 in Amazon gift cards and 5 autographed copies of the book.
Before reading the memoir I thought back to when I found out that my second child would be a boy. I remember being glad and concerned all at once. Boys were different from girls, everyone said so–beyond the obvious gender difference, they were different. To some degree I knew this having worked with troubled teens, first with all girls, then with all boys. Having majored in psychology I even had some understanding that many of the differences were merely?perceived?differences, perpetuated by dogmatic?adherence?to gender roles and social/cultural norms.
My son is now four, and he is different from his sister. I wonder what he’ll be like in his teenage years. I wonder what he’ll be like as a man. There are so many things that I can’t even guess at with any hope of being right. What impression am I making upon him?
In?Praise of Motherhood by by Phil Jourdan, Jourdan begins with the death of his mother, and takes the reader through his stream of conscious thoughts as he processes his grief and his love for his mother. His words are straight forward, and though his thoughts run deep they are easy to follow as are his feelings though it all.
In reading through his memories of the woman who was his mother, I found myself fascinated with how real she was to him. She was perfect in her imperfections. He accepted that she was human with faults, yet still his love elevated her to be more than human.
He uses his experience to show the value of a mother’s love.
Repeatedly as I read I found myself thinking of my children, and of my son. How will I be remembered to them? Will they see my imperfections and love me still? Will they understand my love for them?
They are still young, and there is yet time before us. I hope to show them everyday my love so that they feel it and understand, one day, if not today.
For more information on Phil Jourdan, Praise of Motherhood, and prize opportunities be sure to check out the Praise of Motherhood?Whirlwind Tour.
Great review, Veronica. It’s nice to read a mother’s perspective on this memoir. I’m not one myself, but I related to a lot of the feelings Jourdan explored just on a human level. Thank you for joining us on this tour, and please cross-post your review to Amazon and GoodReads to show support for the author. Thank you again 😀