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The Rest of Us: Dispatches from the Mother Ship
For ten years of Sunday mornings, readers of Jacquelyn Mitchard’s newspaper column, “The Rest of Us,” have been calling their mothers, boyfriends and sisters to say, “See? That’s exactly what I meant!” Mitchard’s clear-eyed takes on everyday life in process are described over and over as “a letter from home,” as “the best friend I can really count on,” and as “the kind of story you tell at the coffee machine—and keep under your pillow.”Jacquelyn Mitchard reaches for heart and mind simultaneously, with both wit and nostalgia but never with sentimentality. Whether writing of gun laws and garage sales, the loneliness of the long-haul single mother, fear of gardening, or the late great American game of baseball, Mitchard stresses the personal stake each of us has in the stand-up drama of daily life. The single mother of five children, she shares her own family’s dramas and epiphanies—her own mother’s tradition of optimism based on nothing, the early death of her husband, the adoption of her baby daughter, as well as the great wheeling issues that confound Americans every day.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1997
3 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Jacquelyn Mitchard
80 books1,206 followersJacquelyn Mitchard’s first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, was named by USA Today as one of the ten most influential books of the past 25 years – second only to the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (but second by a long shot, it must be said.)
The Deep End of the Ocean was chosen as the first novel in the book club made famous by the TV host Oprah Winfrey, and transformed into a feature film produced by and starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
Most of Mitchard’s novels have been greater or lesser bestsellers – and include The Most Wanted, A Theory of Relativity, Twelve Times Blessed, The Breakdown Lane, The Good Son, and Cage of Stars. Critics have praised them for their authentic humanity and command of story. Readers identify because they see reflected, in her characters – however extreme their circumstances – emotions they already understand.
Mitchard also has written four novels for young adults.
The first, Now You See Her, from HarperTeen, is the story of a pampered, driven young actress who fakes her own abduction.
All We Know of Heaven told the story of lifetime best friends Bridget and Maureen, who are just sixteen when a fatal crash on an icy road and a poignant case of mistaken identity divide their small Minnesota town forever.
The Midnight Twins was the first in a trilogy of teen mysteries about identical twin sisters born on New Year’s Eve – one a minute before and a minute after midnight – Meredith and Mallory Brynn learn on the night they turn thirteen that their psychic abilities will force them to intervene in dire events, although one twin can see only the future and one can see only the past. The Midnight Twins is in development as a TV series by Kaleidoscope Entertainment.
Mitchard's newest novel for adult, A Very Inconvenient Scandal, out in November 2023 from Mira/HarperCollins, is the story of an acclaimed young underwater photographer whose famed marine biologist father shatters their family by marrying her best friend., a woman 35 years his junior.
At the local coffee shop, Mitchard is best-known as the mother of Rob, Dan, Marty, Francie, Mia, Will and Atticus , as the grandma of Hank and Diana and the wife of handsome Chris Brent.
Her favorite color is periwinkle blue; her favorite holiday is Halloween; her favorite flower is freesia; her favorite word is "smite," and her second favorite is "Massachusetts"; her lucky number is 119 (anyone who can guess where that comes from wins free first editions of her novels for life). She lives in her favorite place on earth, Cape Cod, summering in a villa on the Amalfi Coast. (Guess which part of that sentence is fiction.)
Her essays have appeared in publications including the New York Times, Chicago Tribune Magazine and Reader's Digest, and are widely anthologized and used in school curricula. She has taught in MFA programs in Vermont, Ohio, and Massachusetts, and is part of the faculty at the Summer Writers Institute at Yale University. She is a member of the Tall Poppies Writers and has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Ragdale Foundation.
Her pet peeves are known authors and editors who cannot and will not learn the difference between “lie” and “lay” and family signs pluralized with apostrophes.
She would love to appear on just ONE episode of any incarnation of ‘Law and Order,’ as has everyone else in America. She still is willing to play the role of a murder victim – except one found by earth-moving equipment in a landfill – though she would do that in a pinch.
Mitchard would like to have a swimming pool, because, although she lives near the ocean, she is afraid of the dark water and hates sand. She would love to have a clawfoot tub, or any tub.
She believes that stories are the ways that human beings make sense of life and that our stories will save us.
The Deep End of the Ocean was chosen as the first novel in the book club made famous by the TV host Oprah Winfrey, and transformed into a feature film produced by and starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
Most of Mitchard’s novels have been greater or lesser bestsellers – and include The Most Wanted, A Theory of Relativity, Twelve Times Blessed, The Breakdown Lane, The Good Son, and Cage of Stars. Critics have praised them for their authentic humanity and command of story. Readers identify because they see reflected, in her characters – however extreme their circumstances – emotions they already understand.
Mitchard also has written four novels for young adults.
The first, Now You See Her, from HarperTeen, is the story of a pampered, driven young actress who fakes her own abduction.
All We Know of Heaven told the story of lifetime best friends Bridget and Maureen, who are just sixteen when a fatal crash on an icy road and a poignant case of mistaken identity divide their small Minnesota town forever.
The Midnight Twins was the first in a trilogy of teen mysteries about identical twin sisters born on New Year’s Eve – one a minute before and a minute after midnight – Meredith and Mallory Brynn learn on the night they turn thirteen that their psychic abilities will force them to intervene in dire events, although one twin can see only the future and one can see only the past. The Midnight Twins is in development as a TV series by Kaleidoscope Entertainment.
Mitchard's newest novel for adult, A Very Inconvenient Scandal, out in November 2023 from Mira/HarperCollins, is the story of an acclaimed young underwater photographer whose famed marine biologist father shatters their family by marrying her best friend., a woman 35 years his junior.
At the local coffee shop, Mitchard is best-known as the mother of Rob, Dan, Marty, Francie, Mia, Will and Atticus , as the grandma of Hank and Diana and the wife of handsome Chris Brent.
Her favorite color is periwinkle blue; her favorite holiday is Halloween; her favorite flower is freesia; her favorite word is "smite," and her second favorite is "Massachusetts"; her lucky number is 119 (anyone who can guess where that comes from wins free first editions of her novels for life). She lives in her favorite place on earth, Cape Cod, summering in a villa on the Amalfi Coast. (Guess which part of that sentence is fiction.)
Her essays have appeared in publications including the New York Times, Chicago Tribune Magazine and Reader's Digest, and are widely anthologized and used in school curricula. She has taught in MFA programs in Vermont, Ohio, and Massachusetts, and is part of the faculty at the Summer Writers Institute at Yale University. She is a member of the Tall Poppies Writers and has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Ragdale Foundation.
Her pet peeves are known authors and editors who cannot and will not learn the difference between “lie” and “lay” and family signs pluralized with apostrophes.
She would love to appear on just ONE episode of any incarnation of ‘Law and Order,’ as has everyone else in America. She still is willing to play the role of a murder victim – except one found by earth-moving equipment in a landfill – though she would do that in a pinch.
Mitchard would like to have a swimming pool, because, although she lives near the ocean, she is afraid of the dark water and hates sand. She would love to have a clawfoot tub, or any tub.
She believes that stories are the ways that human beings make sense of life and that our stories will save us.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 21, 2019
Jacquelyn is such a beautiful, gentle, eloquent writer ... and refers to herself as a Late Bloomer, as it wasn’t until the publishing of her first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, that her career elevated to stardom. But in The Rest of Us she emphasizes more than once, in her most honest and vulnerable revelations, that it’s perfectly OK to not take flight until the “middle years.” It’s only then that you have a true grasp and respect for how to handle success. This compilation of her heart-written essays was published in 1997 ... a little “dated” in some regards, but Jacq’s humor and frankness is timeless, simply timeless. And worthwhile. And stunning. I happened upon an author-signed, impeccable-conditioned hardcover at my local library’s Used Book Store ... a $2 treasure. 🤗
March 9, 2020
This is a collection of the author's newspaper columns. My only complaint is that I wish they would have been in some kind of chronological order. She went from mother (stepmother) of one to mother of four, then single mother of 4 after her husbands untimely death, to single mother of 5 after adopting a child on her own. She talks about her family a lot, so it would add context knowing which stage she was in. It is a little disconcerting to read about dealing with her husband's death then reading soon after about cleaning the basement with him. Otherwise, nice, light read.
November 17, 2018
a great compilation of her essays. I am so glad to have found this great writer!
October 25, 2023
Gentle and sweet essays on motherhood. A bit dated.
August 3, 2024
I like this and I'm not even a mom or middle aged or married
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February 11, 2016Jackie tells about the people who have it all together, their lives figured out and going exactly as they had planned and then there are "The Rest of Us."
This book is a collection of her newspaper columns through the years. By the time this book was finished, she was a sudden widow with four children. Her pieces are about discovering nuggets of wisdom for the rest of us and for her children.
This book is a collection of her newspaper columns through the years. By the time this book was finished, she was a sudden widow with four children. Her pieces are about discovering nuggets of wisdom for the rest of us and for her children.
December 30, 2014
A wonderful book that is real. I laughed and I cried while reading this book. It has been awhile since I've read a book filled with such honesty. Life is hard no doubt about it but we move on and keep living in our own ways. Jacquelyn in an amazing woman.
July 14, 2015
A collection of articles from a Sunday morning column. Enjoyable because a lot like the blogs I now read and follow. Covers topics of motherhood, family, society. A wise lady, and nicely written - just the type of thing I'd love to do!
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July 30, 2009Loved it
July 31, 2013
This is a quick read, and fans of Anna Quindlen or Erma Bombeck would like these columns. I particularly liked the final piece about being a late bloomer.
November 19, 2015
I haven't read any of her newspaper columns so I really enjoyed this book.
February 2, 2015
Enjoyable short stories (columns).
April 14, 2016
A great collections of essays, the most touching telling about her decision to take the plunge and write The Deep End of the Ocean only weeks after her husband died at 42 of cancer.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews