Mama

by Terry McMillan

A “funny [and] touching” novel of an African American woman determined to triumph, by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Waiting to Exhale (Detroit Free Press).   Mildred Peacock is fed up with poverty—and with the jealous rampages of her husband, Crook. When Crook runs over her foot with his ’59 Mercury, she finally kicks him out to raise her five kids on her own.   Resourceful and sly, sassy and sexy, she’s willing to do just about anything to pay the bills. But she loses job after job, and one man after another, until alcohol and pills are her only comfort. But as long as her children need her, she has no intention of giving up, in this “tough novel about a tough family,” from the author of Disappearing Acts and How Stella Got Her Groove Back (The New Yorker).   “Earthy, realistic characters who can walk out of the pages and onto the streets of black America . . . an admirable novel.” —San Francisco Chronicle   “A touching tale of one mother’s unwavering strength.” —Detroit Monthly

Genres: Fiction, African American, Contemporary, Chick Lit, African American Literature, Adult Fiction, Drama

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Terry McMillan is an African-American author. Her interest in books comes from working at a library when she was fourteen. She received her BA in journalism in 1986 from the University of California at Berkeley and the MFA Film Program at Columbia University. Her work is characterized by strong female protagonists.

Her first book, Mama, was self-promoted. She achieved national attention in 1992 with her third novel, Waiting to Exhale, which remained on The New York Times bestseller list for many months. Forest Whitaker turned it into a film in 1995. In 1998, another of McMillan's novels, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, was made into a movie. McMillan's novel Disappearing Acts was subsequently produced as a direct-to-cable feature.

Her last novel, Who Asked You?, casts an intimate look at the burdens and blessings of family and speaks to trusting your own judgment even when others don’t agree.

Reviews

[Nakia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My opinion has changed a lot about this book over the years. I am very shocked that I read this at 12 years old (and was not traumatized by it), and I now completely understand why my mother side eyed me and begrudgingly allowed me to read her copy back then.

I think McMillan did a great job for this to be her first novel, though it's obvious that her writing strengthened with Disappearing Acts and Waiting to Exhale. Lot of tough and heavy themes, and spunky dialogue. Kinda perfect for a book club discussion.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge McMillan fan, I'm surprised to be the last (it seems) to read this awesome book!

Wonderful character and setting development. Of all of her novels, this most deserves movie adaption.I will keep my fingers crossed!

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars rounded up. Our mother and daughters book club pick for February, 2021. Terry McMillan's first book, self-published and promoted, was quite good--her voice comes through clearly and her characterizations are remarkable. The plot might have been tightened up by a good editor but that was to come in her later books.

We were fortunate enough to attend a virtual evening with the author recently, where she read selections from her latest book It's Not All Downhill from Here and answered questions. It's tempting to see Freda, Mama's oldest daughter, as being based on McMillan herself since there are parallels to her own personal history but she claims not--only that an author writes what she knows and LIES a lot, lol. I will definitely read more of her books.

[Michelle Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The family portrayed here made me feel bad, made me wish for better but certainly felt very real. I think these are people we all know. They may be members of our families. I have 3 copies of this book. Accidentally, I loaned one out and it never came back to me and I kept replacing that copy, lol. This book is just too good not to own. It is a far cry from some the superficial books that I have read that have tried to cover similar subject matter, with not as much success.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of my favorite books. i have read this at least five times since 1995 and now own it in hardcover. i love the characters and how the author does a great job at creating real emotions and situations for this family and their dynamics.

i think terry mcmillan's best work...

[María Greene F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una mirada casi documental al desarrollo de una familia, desde que nacen los niños, hasta poco después de que se independizan. Me encantó, pese a no tener un argumento lineal más que la vida misma. Muy bien escrito, aunque también muy duro. La familia es una afroamericana de bajos recursos y el mal rato que pasa me recuerda un poco a "El color púrpura", solo que más moderno, lo que tiene sentido, puesto que éste está ambientado en los años '60 y el otro en los 1900s.

No me pareció, en todo caso, que el tema principal aquí fuera el racismo, sino que más la pobreza. La lucha diaria por salir adelante y todos sus ingratos matices. Sin embargo, tiene también algo muy especial de lo que carecen algunos otros escritos del tipo, y es que está lleno de amor. Pese a todos los errores y daños y abusos físicos y sicológicos... la familia principal, a su manera, se quiere y se respeta y es algo bonito de ver. Hay mucha aceptación y una suerte de ternura sorda. Tiene partes en verdad muy dulces.

Muy bueno, la verdad, tanto que no pude dejarlo pese a que habían salido temporadas enteras nuevas en Netflix de mis series favoritas, jajaja. Me gustó mucho.

Además, es rapidito y fácil de leer, y engancha bastante rápido.


Una cita que destaqué, que al final es la definición de lo tragicómico:

"
-¿Cómo te las arreglas, Curly? Explícame qué tengo que hacer.

- La verdad es que no tienes que hacer gran cosa. Los llevas a un motel, yo suelo ir al Starlight porque queda un poco apartado, te pones ropa un poco sexy, después te la quitas, meneas el culo y en total no les dedicas más que media hora, cuarenta y cinco minutos como mucho. Asegúrate siempre de que utilicen condón, no fuera a ser que te pegasen cualquier cosa, y procura que primero beban algo. Háblales de tus hijos, diles que tienen hambre, que no tienen nada que ponerse para ir a la escuela y que, como te han cortado la luz, ni siquiera los ves - le explicó, muerta de la risa.

- Vamos, Curly, que te hablo en serio.

- Lo sé, lo sé. Era una broma. Sólo exagero un poco. Diles que la cosa puede ser permanente siempre que mejoren tu situacion financiera.

[Beverlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star review because I think Mama is a story that is unflinchingly honest in portraying the struggle of motherhood. Society's expectation of mothers at first glance is eerily simple-do what's best for your child, protect them, love them. How does a mother do this and is there a limit to what a mother should be willing to do in the name of loving one's child/children? Terry McMillan provides an answer to this in Mama. Mildred Peacock Mama to 5 children: Freda (oldest daughter), Money (only son), Bootsey (middle daughter), Doll, and Angel (youngest daughters, not twins). 1964 Point Haven Michigan is not the realized dream of the Great Migration. Mildred's marriage to Crook can best be described as a little love but mostly hate. Their union is defined by physical, emotional, and alcohol/drug abuse. Characteristic of Mildred, she decides to divorce Crook and life goes on.
What resonates with me the most is Mildred's unapologetically flawed (as we all are) and she's fearless. She doesn't retreat into the shadows, when she is ready to love again she does. When she is ready to make a life changing move to Los Angeles, that happens. McMillan doesn't end Mama happily ever after but there is hope for the future of the Peacock family. As the bird itself, it is somewhat plain looking until it spreads its wings and on a spiritual level, the Peacock represents renewal which happens time after time for Mildred and her children.

[K.B. Krissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a kid. It was one of the most beautiful story’s I’ve ever read. Reading a story like this will make you respect what mothers go through. I love this book and I recommend it to everyone, but especially working black women and their children. This book is amazing and realistic.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Mum bought this for me in '92 when she was at Hillcroft college. I remember it was an quick read in terms of pace and a slice of harsh reality in terms of ambition and attainment of creating a better life as a woman on her own. The sacrifices, the costs to the soul the choices we make. I remember being grateful of my Mum, failings included, and mindful of her struggles in getting us where we were.

I went on to read Disappearing Acts and Waiting to Exhale and whilst these novels were of the same style in writing, Ms McMillan wasn't able to recreate the slice of social commentary as Mama. Which led me to think her inspiration for the story was a little closer to home than the others....

[Pamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama; Mildred Peacock, proud black woman! She's broke. Lives in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in a broken down house. After a violent fight, she puts out her no good violently abusive husband!! And rightly so, because even though he didn't have a job, he kept a mistress!! Mama is 27 with 5 children. I loved this book as it was Terry McMillan' first novel!!! It was the hottest book back in the day being read by so many. Also, though this is a sad situation, Mama is portrayed as one who struggles to overcome her plight. This is an easy very good read.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew! This is some excellent writing here. Probably my favorite by this author. I always did hear good things about it so I am not sure what took me so long to read it. Its a hard book to read a times (the subject matter, not the writing). I am happy that Mama's life wasn't ALL bad. Sometimes I feel like writers make it seem like someone's life is just all bad all the time. And that is definitely true for some folks in real life, especially for poor Black folks, but it gets hard to read sometimes. Glad to see Mama had some good days to go along with the bad.

I think the part that stuck out to me the most were the moments where Mama wanted to reach out and hug her kids and the kids wanted/needed their mom to reach out and hug/comfort them but neither had the language to express this. Its like Mama didn't have these skills to pass down to her children because they weren't passed down to her. I think that is such a powerful observation in families, oftentimes poor or Black ones. Its just like life is sometimes so hard you have to put on this coat of armor just to face the world, and sometimes you forget to take it off in your own home.

Anyway, I enjoyed spending time with this family. I wish I could have gotten to know the middle daughters a bit better. I think with so may children the book was stretched a bit thin in that we didn't get to know all of them as much as I would have liked. And the time jumps were a bit disjointed for my taste. I could have spent a good two books with these characters!

[Mrs Tupac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to re-read this book ! It reminds me so much of a day late a dollar short …. This book should be a stage play produced by Lloyd George Richards or better yet a movie directed by Forest Whitaker
the main cast could consist of :
Mildred / Jennifer Lewis
Crook/ Richard Lawson
Curly Mae / Taraji P Henson
Percy / Don Cheadle
Ernestine / Kerry Washington
Freda / Angela basset
Bootsey / Essence Atkinson ( I wish we knew her real name )
Angel / Michelle Williams
Doll / Tika Sumpter
Money / John David Washington ( I wish we knew his real name too ! )
( all actors would be in there prime)

This is a real look of how a BLACK single mom had to struggle within the 60’s through the 80’s
Crook got off too easy for me he’s 50% to blame why his ex/wife and children are messed up.
I still want to know the name of them yellow pills Mildred couldn’t stop taking .. I do wonder what would’ve happen if she married Percy after all the turmoil she and Crook went through.

Mildred was a lousy mother who ignored a lot until her breakdown she made me so mad because all she did was complain , judge others , sleep around for FREE, drink too much , and forced her ideas on her children especially her daughters ! She let crook get off too easy !


I loved Freda for being the first in the family to break out of Point Haven ( this character is definitely based on Terry herself !) she was self aware at such a young age but her down spiral made no sense because she had the key to success I guess all her responsibilities weighted her down !

Even without Bootsey leaving the point she did good for Herself but just like her mother she tolerated a lot in her marriage just to save face and keep up appearances out of all the kids she should’ve took the Freda route instead of anchoring herself at such a young age to a lying man .

Angel and Doll should’ve been twins ! She’s another spoiled entitled young minded woman. She never took the time out to be GREATFUL for anything and rushed into marriage thinking it would save her instead it just highlighted her immaturity atleast she went to school and kind of outgrew her bird mentality. She thought she was Doing something by marrying a yt man who wanted her mama to front the bill for the dream wedding she just had to have ! Out of all the kids she & doll were the most spoiled boy chasing ones

Doll was immature , ungrateful , and trifling as hell her character definitely should’ve been held accountable and appreciated the good thing she had . I kept hoping someone would read her a as the riot act ! Having a degree and finishing school did nothing for her attitude ! She definitely didn’t live up to her name ! She’s definitely like her mama when it comes to Richard / Delbert it reminds me of the Crook / Percy situation!
The family’s move to CALIFORNIA was definitely a saving grace but imo they complained about Point Haven and about California these people weren’t happy anywhere not even within themselves.

I have nothing to say about Money he definitely didn’t live up to his name and his character pissed me off the most !!!!

The ending definitely seemed rushed ! I wouldn’t mind a sequel only if it’s done right because outside of moving , jobs , and school their definitely wasn’t any character growth everyone just growing up trying to hide their dirty deeds , cover them up , or skip right over them .

[Debbie Roth · Rating 4 out of 5]


Just finished Terry McMillan’s first published novel, Mama (1987). Jail, cocaine, high school dropouts, unwed pregnancies, poverty, alcoholism, drug addiction, arrests, violence, abuse, single parent households, bad checks; what life-robbers some of those words are. How can anyone get beyond having all of those things in one family? That one family lives in a place where almost everyone around them is in the same boat. In this novel, children are born into families where young parents party, drink, and have knock down drag out bloody fights a room away from their kids, listening and cowering in the dark behind closed bedroom doors. It doesn’t sound like the subject matter for a book anyone could endure, much less enjoy. The book is like an epic prose poem on surviving in spite of yourself, and in spite of a world around you that throws up roadblocks faster than dirt flies beneath a hound searching for a buried bone.

Terry McMillan breathes such life into her characters, when they inhale, you are pulled right into the story, as if you were sitting on the living room flowered couch, smelling beans cooking on the stove, and catching up on the latest family drama. The excerpt below is an example of McMillan’s humor:

“Mama had another stroke this morning. Her pressure been going up. They say there was a weak spot in her brain in the walls of her arteries and it swelled up like a bubble and busted. We had to rush her to the hospital.”
“You say Curly had a bubble bust? She in the hospital?” The words were like a faint echo coming from the back of her throat.
“Aunt Mildred, I can’t hear you.”
“I didn’t say nothing.” Mildred said each word slowly, then louder and deliberately. “What hospital she in?”
“Mercy.”
“That’s what she goin’ need.”

Terry McMillan is as strong as her protagonists, and does not rely on the kindness of strangers for her success. At the tender age of 36 she was less than satisfied with the promotion of this, her first book, so she became a marketing department of one, sending out thousands of letters to booksellers. The first run of 5,000 books soon sold out. The rest is history. Be like Terry McMillan.

[Nyss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terry McMillan is one of my favorite writers. This book is honest and raw. All men should actually read this. The feelings of women can't be more honest than this.

This is the second time I have read the book but I never got bored. I still devoured every word.

The thing with McMillan is that her novels are written in such a way that makes you feel like you are having a heart to heart conversation with the characters.

She does not care about punctuation or grammar or words. She writes the words the way the characters say it. Exhausting to read sometimes but oh so rewarding.

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first Terry McMillan book I have read, and it will likely be the last. I get it that poverty is a vicious cycle and that it perpetuates ignorance and severely limits people's choices in life, but I couldn't stand any of these characters. I was especially bothered with the title character, Mama, who is just plain verbally abusive to her five children who didn't ask to be born. This book was somewhat well written (except for the all too elementary and obvious names--Deadman, Money, etc.) because it passed my 50 page test, so I actually completed it, but even my favorite character, Freda, was disappointing and inconsistent. There was some suggestion of hope in the book, but it was too little too late after being bombarded with such a display of meanness and stupidity for so many pages. This book did little to enlighten about the human condition, and there was no real point to all of the misery, in my opinion.

[K Browne · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not for me to enjoy Terry McMillan. I have tried, and I have found that she is like a person who is telling you a story about people you don't care to know at all. When the story is over, you feel like you have wasted your time listening (or reading in this case) to a story about people you don't care.

Because I never get invested in her characters, I don't care for her books. I'm glad that I read this because I found what it was that I do not like about her writing.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written but depressing to me.

[L. Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildred Peacock, or Mama, was one of the most memorable characters I have ever encountered. I enjoyed this book immensely.

[BookOfCinz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terry McMillan did an amazing job of showing the struggles most Moms face while raising their kids in poverty. The book is raw, hilarious, awkward and refreshing.
A really great read.

[Samiyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book is like taking a sip of a full-bodied wine, the story is rich, complex, and leaves a lingering taste and aroma, well after the words have been digested.

This was such a beautiful novel. You'll have no problem at all falling into these characters, their town, their stories. Terry's writing is so exquisite, so descriptive, you vividly see their town Point Haven, you see The Shingle, you see the house, Mildred's house. You also feel the interior world of these characters. You understand their desires, their fears, their hopes, and you root for them.

These characters are full-bodied as is this story. Mama, is a generational story as I see it. We are introduced to Mildred the Matriarch and protagonist. She, Mildred takes us on the journey of a life but not just any life, it's the life of an American, who is poor, who is black, who is a woman.

Mildred changed my view and understanding of what it means to Mother, it's changed I see single mothers that are on welfare. I've gotten a better understanding of what it means to be poor and how those classified as poor see and experience the world. I think the media has a way of stigmatizing these groups and eventually, you only see a statistic or stereotype and forget that under all that data are people, with dreams, and goals, and love.

It was easy for me to love Mildred, she's tough but so full of love, and it's not her nature to wear her heart on her sleeve, but at the end of the day she's a hopeless romantic, and that's so beautiful to see. I loved the relationship between Mildred and Freda it reminded me of mine with my Mother. These women, this family goes through its struggles, and through it all, you hope for them, you pray for them, you fear for them. I was so invested in this story that as we got closer to the end and the trials got greater for these people I began to fear for the worst. And when I arrived at the end I was pleasantly surprised, I was relieved, it gave me hope for life. I will never forget Mildred.

[Aurea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Terry McMillan novel, and I found it pretty compelling within the slice of life genre. It could definitely be argued that nothing “happens” in the book because there is no real central plot line. A pitch might be something like “Impoverished black family struggles through several decades of substance abuse, the effects of generational poverty, and dysfunctional relationships.” Nevertheless, Mildred (mama) is memorable and quite sympathetic in spite of all of her missteps and failings. I feel like I’ll remember her for years to come. I was rooting for her and all of her kids to succeed, especially her oldest daughter Freda, but I do have to say, the ending felt a little pat. I’ll probably read more from McMillan further down the line. I appreciate her easy unaffected style and how she writes unapologetically for flawed characters.

[MekaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread after many, many years. Ms. Mildred was toxic af. When I read it, years ago, I thought she was a survivor but now I see that she was always getting herself out of self created jams. She had so many opportunities to improve her situation but she just made poor choices.
Love the pacing and the characters but we could have done with either Angel or Doll but we didn’t need both.

[Tracey Danzey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I read many years ago and a book that I feel never received its proper celebration. It landed as an honest depiction of many single parent homes with a broken spirited mother, simply trying to hold it together. I loved this book so much!

[Parkway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as wonderfully rich as it was 30 years ago when I first read it!

[Nathália Milani · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐ 4.5

[Latiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Mama at least ten times during my early teenage years and wanted to reread it just to see how I felt about it as an adult.

It is still a beautiful read. I love this story. It reminds me of why I fell in love with McMillan's writing so long ago.

I was surprised by how young Mildred Peacock's character is at the start of the story. She is only 27 with 5 kids and an abusive husband. I'm sure I read this for the first time when I was about 14, so back then I thought 27 was old.

I was also taken aback by the savagery of Crook's abuse. The scene where he is whipping her with a belt as if she is one of the children, while she is crying and apologizing was uncomfortable. Especially knowing that 5 children were listening to this. Mildred defends herself and then follows-up with having loud sex with Crook knowing the children can hear them.

Parents are far from perfect. Mildred doesn't come close, but she has an unwavering love for her children that is clearly illustrated in this story.

Overall, this is a coming of age story and the reader can see growth in almost all of the characters. I never realized how undeveloped Angel and Bootsey's characters are. Angel more than Bootsey, but to be fair there are a lot of characters in this story and it's difficult to dig deeply into each of them.

This book ranks high as one of my favorite and McMillan ranks high as one of my favorite writers.

[tre be · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mama is a beautiful story of a mother’s unshakeable love for and fierce dedication to her children. Reading this story multiple times throughout the years hits differently. Before I was a mother, I noted that the story helped me “appreciate my mother more”, but reading it as a mother, whew, I feel seen.
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Mildred is the mother of 5 children and she’s tired. She’s tired of struggling, tired of dealing with her absentee husband/father of her children, and she’s tired of being tired. But mama’s gotta do what she gotta do to provide…
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In Mama, we see Mildred’s growth as a mother as her children grow, as their environments change. It shows how circumstances can affect how you parent, and it also shows how those same circumstances can strengthen or break you. I loved Mildred’s no-nonsense attitude and outlook; her children were always her main priority and taking care of them by any means necessary.
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We see how the dynamics of her relationships develop with her children as they become adults, and how they pour back in to her. I particularly loved the relationship between Mildred and her oldest daughter Freda and seeing it evolve through the years.
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MAMA will make you laugh, cry, gasp and reflect! It is deeply touching and relatable; a story still so relevant after so many decades. I love it so dear and couldn’t think of a better story to share!

[Janel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a really good read, I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed reading Terry McMillan books! Her earlier books in particular. Definitely an oldie but goodie. It follows the main character Mildred and her five children through life’s struggles and triumphs.
Excerpt: page 195
Freda remembered that once Mildred had said woman were just like queen bees. Could do everything except fly.

[Nijla Mumin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was about 9 or 10 years old... It was my introduction to "adult" literature. From that point on, I was hooked. Needless to say, I don't remember specifics, just the feeling and expansive impact it had on me. I'm thankful for that.

[Deminica Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book during spring break of sophomore year in high school. It was the very first book that I read on my own and it changed my reading habits forever. This book started my love for reading.