Dr. Lillian Rubin's tenth book examines the lives of women as they
grown from daughters into mothers and move on into the intimidating
territory of old age. Tangled Lives, which reads with the narrative intensity
of good fiction, uses pivotal events from the author's own life to illuminate
the powerful influence the mother-daughter bond has on a woman's identity.
and the profound changes that come with aging.
Masterfully interweaving her present-day challenges with the story of her
immigrant Jewish family's struggle, the author presents a vivid tapestry of a
contemporary woman's life. Her mother's death and her own life-threatening
illness two weeks later give her occasion to reflect on her life's path: her
father's sudden death when she was five, her mother's grueling
grown from daughters into mothers and move on into the intimidating
territory of old age. Tangled Lives, which reads with the narrative intensity
of good fiction, uses pivotal events from the author's own life to illuminate
the powerful influence the mother-daughter bond has on a woman's identity.
and the profound changes that come with aging.
Masterfully interweaving her present-day challenges with the story of her
immigrant Jewish family's struggle, the author presents a vivid tapestry of a
contemporary woman's life. Her mother's death and her own life-threatening
illness two weeks later give her occasion to reflect on her life's path: her
father's sudden death when she was five, her mother's grueling
labor in the New York garment industry before unions made the work barely tolerable, her own
climb from poverty, and her lifelong battle with her mother. As she lies in a hospital bed
recovering from a near-fatal blood clot, she recounts triumphantly how, in defiance of her own
troubled history with her mother, she forged a deep and meaningful relationship with her daughter.
Dr. Rubin's reflections on growing old provide an intensely intimate and passionate look at
aging in this society. Her unflinching personal honestly opens the door on feelings that are too
often kept silent, fostering anxiety, guilt, and shame. Tangled Lives will inspire others to bring
their own hidden thoughts to light and to see the common humanity in their personal struggle.
climb from poverty, and her lifelong battle with her mother. As she lies in a hospital bed
recovering from a near-fatal blood clot, she recounts triumphantly how, in defiance of her own
troubled history with her mother, she forged a deep and meaningful relationship with her daughter.
Dr. Rubin's reflections on growing old provide an intensely intimate and passionate look at
aging in this society. Her unflinching personal honestly opens the door on feelings that are too
often kept silent, fostering anxiety, guilt, and shame. Tangled Lives will inspire others to bring
their own hidden thoughts to light and to see the common humanity in their personal struggle.
| A Daughter's Response to her Mother's Book by Marci Rubin |