Memoirs About Family

I'm going to change how I recommend books here. Rather than offering a random collection of five books like I've been doing in my Top Five posts, I'm going to group similar books together. You will know what kind of books to expect simply by reading the title of the post. Also, I'm going to try to include affiliate links for you to use if you with to purchase these books. Mastering new skills on the Internet always involves a steep learning curve for me.... but steep does not mean impossible. :)

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

Kelly's mom always told her, "Your dad is the glitter. I'm the glue." You can imagine which parent Kelly gravitated towards. Glitter is shiny, exciting, and fun. But when Kelly takes the job of nannying two children who lost their mom to cancer, she sees her own mom with brand new eyes. She realizes that it takes both glitter AND glue to raise a child. 

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride

The chapters of this book alternate between James' story and his mother's story and I found them equally compelling. Mcbride's Jewish mother broke all the cultural norms of the 1940s by marrying a black man and raising twelve black children in New York City. James' childhood was overshadowed by chaos and poverty. By convincing his mother to finally open up about her private past, he's able to gain the perspective he craves for his own story. 

The thing that stuck with me long after finishing this book, is how James' mother gave her children JESUS when she had NOTHING to give them by earthly standards. I can't wait to reread this book, which is the highest praise I can give!

Everything Beautiful in Its Time: Seasons of Love and Loss by Jenna Bush Hager

This is a quiet, touching tribute to Jenna's grandparents. While Jenna's paternal grandparents lived their lives on a national stage, this book pulls back the curtains and offers a peek into the ways she was also influenced by her maternal grandparents. The world would be a different place if more people had a family like Jenna's.... a family that walks beside you through every hard and beautiful thing. 

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