Babs

by Victoria Riley

My mother became a private woman later in her life, choosing to put away the details and memories of what it meant growing up American Indian in the early part of the twentieth century. I felt that her story, no matter how brief, had to be written. Throughout these pages I speak about two different mothers I had, though they were the same woman. In this heartfelt Memoir about Barbara Babs John Brown we learn about the painful reality of what it is to be bonded to a tribe of people who ostracized her entire family. A reservation in Northern Montana where burdensome times were lived through for many, but, for Barbara involved the loss of a mother at the age of three, poverty, racism and an angry father who would not be broken. It tells of Babs who emerged from a place that she did not embrace any longer with her need to fulfill the duties of being a loving mother and her solid Spirituality.

220 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2013

Reviews

[Sanela Jurich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful biography of a woman who wrote this book in honor of her Native American mother. It is truly an amazing story talking about some burdensome times of poverty and racism. Ms. Riley, not only talks about her mother's hard life in this book, she also talks about her mother's great love for her family and God. In addition, she mentions some painful facts from our history that are, at times, hard to swallow.
Reading this book, I realized what a wonderful person Babs was. It is really amazing that she didn't become bitter and hateful after everything she'd been through. She kept her head up high and her faith strong. That is the kind of a person I wish I could be. There is so much we could all learn from Babs and from Victoria.
Looking forward to reading more stories by this author.