Things My Mother Taught Me

by Claire Halliday

How did you become the person you are today? Lessons learned from our mothers can set the course for the lives we will lead and the people we will become. A mother can be many things: generous, heroic, nurturing, inspiring, difficult; she guides us in our growth, she teaches us about the world. And all the while she is her own person.

In Things My Mother Taught Me a diverse range of Australian identities share their personal stories. Within these pages are mature reflections on how a mother shapes, nurtures, and complicates a life. Reflections on how each of these prominent people would not be who they are today if it weren’t for this unique relationship. These are stories of fondness, gratitude, respect and regret. They are insights into an area of human experience where small moments can have a large and lasting impact.

Featuring the stories of Naomi Simson, Li Cunxin, Paul Vasileff, Shaynna Blaze, Tracy Bartram, Napoleon Perdis, Fiona Patten, Adriano Zumbo, Tiriel Mora, Geraldine Cox, Graeme Simsion, Jacqueline Pascarl, Benjamin Law, Lynn Gilmartin, Kathy Lette, Robin Bowles, Greg Fleet, Miguel Maestre, and Lawrence Mooney, as told to Claire Halliday.

256 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2016

Reviews

[Lorna Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a great book to dip in and out of.
I realise how lucky I am to have the mother that I have and what an amazing selfless woman she is with the sharing of some of these stories.

I want "Things my father taught me"

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly I would like to thank the publisher for a copy of this book.
Just in time for mother’s day comes this wonderful collection of stories about the wisdom and truths of a mothers teachings.
Featuring stories from a wide range of Australian identities, they share their personal stories about how their mothers shaped and influenced their lives, and the lessons they have learnt from them along the way. Even the smallest moments can have a profound impact on a child and stay with them long into adulthood.
It is a wonderful collection of tales that highlight how each of these people were moulded by the unique relationship that is the mother/child bond.
Sometimes sweet, sometimes insightful, full of affection and gratitude, occasionally even regret, this is a lovely read and a great gift for the most important woman in our lives.
I would have liked a few more stories from people I am personally more familiar with (some of the celebrities featured I did not know of), but overall it was an enjoyable and touching read.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The 'Mother' relationship is indeed special and unique to everyone and it was a treat to dip in and out of other peoples' experiences. It was also very interesting to learn more about some of my favourite personalities.
I highly recommend this book if you're after something interesting to dip in and out of.

[Deb Bodinnar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reading how other peoples relationships with their Mothers play out. Just goes to show every family is different and just because you're related doesn't necessarily mean you always see eye to eye!!

[Barbara Darvall · Rating 3 out of 5]

After hearing a fabulous interview on ABC RN with Claire Halliday, I just had to read her story.
The book didn't lay out all her story the same was as in the interview, the written story being much shorter. All the same, enjoyed the read.

[Sharon J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easy to read and it has the added benefit of being able to read entries separately and come back to at a later date. Very thought provoking - what you remember from your own mother and what will be remembered of you as a mother! Motherhood means many different things to everyone and living up to whatever image you have is confusing.
It extremely interesting to read what others remember and what may not seem important at the time can have a big impact. This is a book that can easily be revisited.
Highly recommended.

[Nola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great vignettes from people on their mothers, some were surprising, some so sad but they managed to survive their childhood and move on to exciting careers and to make sure that they weren't going to repeat their childhood.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love the concept of the book and enjoy learning bits of people's lives. I think the book might be better for a slightly more mature generation or those who know more celebrities as I did not know many of the people in the book and there was some assumed baseline knowledge in some of the chapters.
It would be a great book to dip in and out of rather than reading it straight through as it did get a little repetitive. As happens with a book like this there are chapters I enjoyed much more than others.
Overall it is an interesting read and well collated. I loved how Claire Halliday finished with her own story.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A romantic glorification of the institution of motherhood.

[Lucinda]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14167034