Never Tell Mommy: A Memoir

by Jackie E.

"Never tell Mommy!" This whispered command buried family secrets that festered well into adulthood for Jackie E, the author of NEVER TELL MOMMY, a Memoir. With amazing courage and clarity, this 70-year-old author gives voice to the little girl who was once forced into silence about a subject that is still taboo in many circles. The author reveals her sometimes zany, sometimes heartbreaking childhood as she transports us back to the ethnically diverse world where she grew up in Los Angeles during the wild and wonderful l930s and '40s. On this nostalgic journey we meet three generations; the author's immigrant grandparents steeped in Jewish tradition, and her parents, a Canadian father and California-born mother who attempt to assimilate. And then there is the author, Jackie, an only child, who questions Judaism while exploring other religions in her search for God, a desire to belong, and a hunger to be loved. In spite of unhealthy parental exploitation and being forced to keep a secret she is told will kill her mother, the author delights in the world around her, aided by eccentric yet supportive relatives and loving friends. Lena, her eternally unhappy grandmother and a religious zealot, gave nurturning the first two years of the author's life. Pearl, a self-taught career woman, acknowledged her niece's questioning mind. Madeline, an alcoholic former Hollywood starlet, taught her niece how to "behave" like a lady. Eddie, a grammar school janitor, instilled a life-long love of music in his young friend. This multilayered memoir also explores the author's therapy experience during the l980s after an incident forces her to confront buried pain. NEVER TELL MOMMY shocks, mocks, and applauds, as layer after layer of the author's chaotic childhood and her late-in-life search for answers, unfolds, reliving both the pain and the joy. But, most importantly of all, NEVER TELL MOMMY offers us the hope that no matter what trauma we may have endured, the past is no longer an enemy if we open our eyes and hearts and embrace the moment.

323 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Sandra Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was heart wrenching yet so beautiful. The human spirit can forgive, thrive and blossom, into the person they were always meant to be. I loved the setting, 1930s Los Angeles