Do You Know Your Mom's Story? 365 Questions You Need to Ask Her

by Glenna Mageau

"…it reaches far beyond dates of birth, marriage and death and into the heart and soul of a woman and her family…" Multi-Award-Winning Author P.M. Terrell

What do you really know about your Mom?
Do you know what her hopes, dreams and desires were? Did she live them?
Your mom is so much more than the woman who raised you. She grew up in a time very different from yours—there were different beliefs, habits, and ways of doing things. Your mom has seen a lot in her life, getting to hear her journey will help you to understand her in a whole new light. Now is the time get to know her and to document her life. The only way to find out about your mom's story is to ask… because one day she won't be there anymore.
When we reach old age we should know our lives mattered, that we mattered, that we are loved, happy and feel connected.
This book offers a way to start conversations between you and your mom—in particular, elderly mothers. It is a guide which provides questions to ask, as well as how and when to ask them. Use this as a way to grow, heal and/or mend the relationship between mom and child; preserve this woman's journey through life and in particular her role as Mom. Her story is her legacy to you.

"…insightful questions with thought provoking examples and explanations…" Christine Jackson

Genres: Nonfiction

95 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2018

Reviews

[Glenna Mageau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly believe that when we reach old age we should feel loved, connected and know that our lives matter. Many of our elderly moms don't feel that way. My goal is to mend, heal and grow the relationship between child and mom. This is a way to get those conversations started.

[Barbara Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relationships can be messy: some messier than others. Whether your relationship with your own mother is great, so-so, or atrocious, wouldn't you like to feel you knew her after she is gone? Fact of life: NO ONE gets out of life alive: we ALL die. When you buy this book you will also have to buy several notebooks (or another recording method) to preserve the answers to the questions for when she (or possibly he) is no longer around. I am a cranky old lady living at a great distance from her son who does NOT like to write (these reviews are indeed an exception). I perused an ARC and am still wondering if I will actually use it (my own mother is long gone) but this voluntary review is my own opinion.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Do You Know Your Mom's Story?: 365 Questions You Need to Ask Her by Glenna Mageau is not what I expected. I thought it would be just pages and pages of lists of questions. It is much more than that. It encourages you to have a conversation with your mother. It allows you to learn about your mother as a person and not just as a title, "Mom".

While being a mom is a huge part of me, it is not all of me. Why do we assume that is all our mothers are?

The book is broken down into categories based on subjects and different points of their lives. It includes easy to talk about memories and the incredibly difficult ones. Asking these questions honestly helped change my relationship with my mother to morph from mother and daughter to person and person. It allowed us to talk as adults, as equals, and understand each other better. Memories were shared but from two completely different points of view.

I would have liked to have found something similar before my father passed away. It would have been nice to preserve his memories and thoughts of being more than just a dad.

[Gena DeBardelaben · Rating 4 out of 5]

eARC: Netgalley

Lately I've been thinking how much I would love to be able to talk to my grandparents again. I would love to ask them about their childhoods, their teen years, how things changed during their lives, etc. These thoughts led me to realize I need to be asking my mother these questions now while I still can. I was so happy to find this book that gives so many suggestions about what to ask. I think many of these subjects would never have crossed my mind. Overall, a very helpful book.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book! There are so many really great questions in here to really learn about your mother and I love how it has more substance to help guide the reader on how to really connect with their mom while asking these questions rather than just a list of questions. They are also separated into categories based on subjects/different life points. This is a great buy and could become an essential part of your family history passed on! Do this for you and your descendants as these kind of things are often one of the most cherished heirlooms!

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

DO YOU KNOW YOUR MOM'S STORY?: 365 QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK HER
Written by Glenna Mageau
2018; Quadessence Press (220 pages)
Genre: nonfiction, memoir, biography, writing

(Review Not on Blog)

RATING: 4 STARS

This a great book to start a conversation with your mom. It not only helps you learn more about your own family stories but know more about your mother. This book can also help you ask further questions - I found the questions in this book well done, but I had further questions , or follow up questions. I wanted to request this book as I have always wanted to know more about my mom and have wanted to write it down. My grandmother died of dementia so this seems more urgent than I ever thought.

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***

[Tracy Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great idea, and makes for some intense moments. It is written in an easy to read style and gives you great ideas as well as actual questions to ask.

Unfortunately my mum, who has dementia, can't involve herself as much as I would like but I plan to use this book as a base for a memoir to give my own children instead.

I was able to read a copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers and would recommend it to anyone who wants to be able to answer the question of the title.

[Tracy Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great idea, and makes for some intense moments. It is written in an easy to read style and gives you great ideas as well as actual questions to ask.

Unfortunately my mum, who has dementia, can't involve herself as much as I would like but I plan to use this book as a base for a memoir to give my own children instead.

I was able to read a copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers and would recommend it to anyone who wants to be able to answer the question of the title.

[Jena Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part-memoir and part non-fiction, this book is also a gift to you, your mother and your family. The woman that raised you is amazing, but not perfect. And woman forget to honor themselves. This book is a loving and positive place to start learning more about your mother and to raise her up.

Author Glenna Mageau’s compassionate and understanding words will encourage you to explore your Mom’s history. This guide is not just a list of routine, factual questions. The author asks us to meet our mother where she is at.

How meaningful it will be to learn more about your Mom’s journey- as her own person, the woman behind the label of “Mom” of “Wife.” We all want to know that we matter. This heartwarming book will help you both understand each other and help you to start a deeper connection with your mother and then keep the conversations going. But the author recognizes that some relationships have much more pain than others.

We forget that times have changed, and each generation faced different challenges and expectations. How illuminating it will be to enter your mother’s world. The author believes it may help you grow, mend, or heal your relationship with your mother.

This book provides a wonderful variety of questions. You don’t have to go through all 365, neither do you have to start at the beginning. Start where you and you Mom will feel comfortable.

My own mother was talkative about her own life and memories. After reading the questions in this book, I know I would have liked to learn more. Here are some of the questions that resounded with me:
Who did she have the most fun with in her family?
When did she learn to drive? Who taught her?
What were her parents’ expectations for her life?
Where does she believe she got her strength from over the years, to deal with all the occurred in her life? What is her advice for getting through tough situations?
Who was the worst boss she ever had?
What is she most proud of in her life?

I recommend this book. It will help you to have a heart to heart talk with your mother about her life, her dreams, and her beliefs. What a gift- to get to know the woman who is your mother.

Thanks to NetGalley and Books Go Social for a review copy. This is my honest review.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so kindly provided with an ARC of this book so I could give an honest review and all opinions are my own.

Do You Know Your Mom's Story?: 365 Questions You Need to Ask Her by Glenna Mageau is not what I expected. I thought it would be just endless pages of lists and questions smashed neatly between the covers of yet another do-it-yourself journal, but I was pleasantly surprised at what I found contained within. It is much more than the everyday journal on the shelf. It encourages you to have a real, in-depth conversation with your mother, allowing you to learn about your mother as a person, a woman, a fellow traveler on this journey of ours, and not just as a title, "Mom".

Why is it we assume that is all our mothers are nothing before us? That they don’t have feelings, hopes and dreams. That they weren’t every bit the scared young girl, the frolicking teenager, or the girl on the edge of womanhood, foraging ahead in life much like we are? Moms are people too and as such we have so much we can learn from them, if we take the time to walk their journey too.

The book is broken down into categories based on subjects and different points of their lives. It includes easy to talk about memories and the incredibly difficult ones. Asking these questions allows the relationship with your mother to morph from mother and child to person and person. It allows you to talk as adults, as equals, and understand each other better. It offers the ability to look at your memories from two completely different points of view, and offers growth and advancement of the mother - child relationship.

This is the kind of memoir I would have loved to have found before my father passed away. It would have been nice to preserve his memories, experiences and thoughts of his journey as well.

This is a journal that is worth exploring with your mother, as well as yourself.

I gave this a 4.5 out of 5 star review for the organization of the material presented and the structure laid down for you to follow, as well as the content and questions contained within.

[Terrie Case · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book supplies 365 questions to ask your mother. They are designed to get to know her as a person, not just through statistics. They questions vary from simple questions like Did your parent’s family have family reunions to more thought-provoking ones such as How does she think her beliefs have directed her life?

The author states that this book is a source to use when beginning a talk about your mother’s life. I would love to have had the answers to these questions when my mother was alive. Since she is not, I am answering the questions so that my children and grandchildren will know about my life. It is a keepsake for when I have passed.

I recommend this book as a way to start a conversation with your mother to get to know her. You can use all of the questions or just a few. Please get this book and get to know your mother before it is too late to ask.


I received an ARC from BooksGoSocial through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

[Brenda Schiesser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, Do You Know Your Mom's Story? 365 Questions You Need to Ask Her by Glenna Mageau is something that I wish I had had when my Mom was still alive. What a treasure trove of information you would have about your Mom, her childhood, her family dynamics, what and who shaped her personality, her heart, her goals for her life. It would be a great way to connect with your Mom in times of quiet reflection over a cup of something warm and cozy. Make it a date......once a week or month. Set aside the time to re-bond with her or maybe for the first time. Full of questions that make it easy for you to know what to ask, this book can be the difference between knowing who your Mom really is or just who you think she is. Glenna writes in an easy fashion that draws you into the story so it doesn't seem like a "how to" book. She shares about her relationship with her Mom. At the end, there is a section to record your special memories of Mom........something else to share with her and your own daughter(s), if you have one.

[Sue Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great idea for a book. I am not sure how much I will achieve with my own mother regarding getting her to talk about her past but it also made me think about what information and gems I will tell my own (now adult) children to pass on down the coming generations. I would prefer to have this book in a physical format rather than digital so I may consider buying it once published.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glenna writes a very interesting book. We all know the basics of our mothers in this book Glenna gives us ideas on how to ask questions without being invasive. This gives us a deeper knowledge of our family history. I really enjoy it.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. What I enjoyed most was some of the questions were a bit out of the blue. I have a few books that fall into this subject and while some of the questions are across the board I really liked that some are different and unique.