(Grand)mothers are the often unsung heroes of our lives. From the countless hours spent keeping us fed, clothed and happy as children through to the words of wisdom, emotional support and eventual send offs into the world as adults, mothers and motherhood plays a crucial role in our social well-being. And let’s not forget the power of the mommy-hug! As a way to acknowledge all that they do, we’ve compiled a list of 10 books that will make you want to call your mom and say, “thank you.”
What Was Said to Me : The Life of Sti’tum’atul’wut, a Cowichan Woman by Ruby Peter in collaboration with Helene Demers (Royal BC Museum)
Connection to language and culture is pivotal as we mature into healthy individuals, and mothers and grandmothers are often our first gateway into our cultural heritage. Sti’tum’atul’wut — also known as Mrs. Ruby Peter — has made it her life’s work to share and safeguard the ancient language of her people: Hul’q’umi’num’. This fascinating life history chronicles her 70 years of work in keeping the Hul’q’umi’num language alive through thousands of mentorships and contributions to written records, stories and audio and video documentation.
The Juggling Mother: Coming Undone in the Age of Anxiety by Amanda D. Watson (UBC Press)
Motherhood can be challenging at the best of times. These days, the expectation for women to “have it all” and to juggle a high-power career and family is a perfect example of the unreasonable demands put on women. But the toll of motherhood in the current neoliberal economic model isn’t felt equally among all women. Amanda Watson explores how the typically white, middle class “juggling mother” is both a product of and complicit in the continued inequalities within motherhood across race, income, ethnicity and ability.
Home on the Strange: Chronicles of Motherhood, Mayhem, and Matters of the Heart by Susan Lundy (Heritage House)
This fun, charming book recounts Susan Lundy’s journey through all the stages of motherhood, from being added to a ready-made family, to having her own children, to eventually seeing them all off into the world. Tucked into the memories and madness within these pages are simple life lessons of care and adaptability through tumultuous times. This is a book for mothers by a mother with plenty to relate to.
Menopocalypse by Amanda Thebe (Greystone Books)
Contrary to traditional and frankly outdated ways of thinking, a woman’s life doesn’t end when her kids grow up and leave home. A whole suite of opportunities and new experiences open up after the nest empties — until the dreaded menopause sets in. But as Amanda Thebe explains it, this natural end to a woman’s reproductive years and all the symptoms that accompany it don’t have to be a slog of physical and mental anguish. In Menopocalypse Thebe shares her tips and tricks for keeping healthy and active as the body goes through another round of hormonal changes.
Walking Away from Hate: Our Journey Through Extremism by Jeanette & Lauren Manning (Tidewater Press)
No one who has been through it is ever going to claim that motherhood is easy. It’s exhausting and stressful and frustrating and at times feels like a constant struggle. This struggle is never more apparent than that between who a child grows to be and who a mother wants them to be. Walking Away From Hate is the true story of a teen lured into violent white supremacy and the mother who refused to give up on her. Riveting and emotional, the book showcases how the power of a mother’s love can ultimately overcome the forces of hate in the world.
City Baby by Laurie Elmquist (Orca Book Publishers)
Explore the sights, sounds and activities of the city with Mom and Baby as they venture into the urban landscape in Laurie Elmquist’s new board book. With colourful illustrations and simple text, this is a wonderful book for mothers and babies to bond with over their shared experiences. Chase pigeons and watch the people together with Baby in this wonderful new read.
Like a Boy but Not a Boy: Navigating Life, Mental Health, and Parenthood Outside the Gender Binary by andrea bennett (Arsenal Pulp Press)
As society expands and embraces differences in sexual orientation and gender, so too do definitions and experiences of motherhood expand and flourish. In Like a Boy but Not a Boy andrea bennett explores embodied existence and all its tricky bits along the way — including parenthood — as a non-binary person. While no two people will ever share the same lived experiences, bennett’s insights are revelatory in the way they expose that uniqueness and struggle is universal, regardless of our diverse circumstances.
Always Brave, Sometimes Kind by Katie Bickell (TouchWood Editions)
Speaking of differences in lived experiences, Always Brave, Sometimes Kind, takes readers through a web of connected short stories. Through the lives and difficulties of each of the characters, the reader is given a new look at a life of dreams, goals and struggles, of which motherhood in its various stages is not ignored.
Beyond the Legal Limit: Surviving a Collision with a Drunk Driver by Pat Henman (Caitlin Press & Dagger Editions)
A tragic and preventable head-on collision left Pat Henman and her daughter Maia in the hospital for months. Teetering on the edge between life and death, Pat endured multiple surgeries and both she and Maia were left with permanent disabilities. This memoir recounts the struggle of recovery, of dealing with insurance claims and lawsuits, and how the love and support of family got them both through it all.
Saltus by Tara Gereaux (Nightwood Editions)
With compassion and love, Tara Gereaux explores the difficulties, heartbreak and nuiance of raising a transgender child in a society that still casts sometimes fatal stigmas upon them. Saltus describes the overturning of sleepy small town life in Saskatchewan, when single mother Nadine and her son Aaron arrive on scene. Desperate for long-denied gender-affirming medical treatment, Aaron undergoes a risky procedure by an unqualified eccentric that throws the whole town into a crisis of identity.