Motherland by Elissa Altman

Motherland: A Memoir of Love, Loathing, and Longing by Elissa Altman

Motherland is the type of memoir I absolutely love, not constrained by chronology, it works the way memory works when we try to make meaning of the past and the to understand the most fundamental relationships. Altman’s language and imagery is pristine and carried me through the book with many a smile of recognition. I kept this book on my bedside table, picking it up for slivers before sleep, prolonging it’s wisdom and haunting message. As a grown daughter and mother of a daughter, a memoir like Motherland is a gift to those of us intent on forgiveness and moving forward.