Like Mama, like daughter. Both s
trong and stubborn. Both as constant as each day’s rising sun. Both content with their rich lives and loving husbands. In this touching tribute, it’s sometimes difficult to tell which character is really "Mama" back then, and which one is Youngest Daughter.
Barbara Oehlbeck’s literary portrait of her mother is a portrait of the best in all mothers, especially those of the rural South in the 30s and 40s.
Mamas never really rest because the job of being a mother never ends. There’s always someone who needs tending to; something that needs mending; something that needs planted, picked, preserved or baked.
Barbara’s Mama instilled in her Youngest Daughter a sense of "learn from looking". One never quits, never wavers, never bends. You do what you have to do to get the job done. You say you don’t know what the job is? Wake up! It’s practically staring you in the face.
These are most often traits associated with fathers. Barbara had a strong and exceptional father. But he was perhaps no match for her mother, who, in her daughter’s eyes, could do anything.
During moments of self-reflection, we all wonder how much of the Sculptor’s Clay was removed from our parent’s mold and how much from our evolving environment. The Youngest Daughter in this book emerges as her Mama’s finest work. Some say, "A spittin’ image."
The book was a pleasure to read.
Mark Renz, author of a bunch of books about old bones.
MAMA is a fascinating book, one that grabs your heart, mind and soul and never lets go. You laugh one moment and cry the next, and MAMA becomes so real you expect her to step right out of the pages and sit down beside you. Barbara Oehlbeck has created a classic that will be enjoyed by generations of readers yet to come.
Two Chapters of MAMA have won the National Writers Association Competition/Florida Chapter. "Ricky" First Place and "Cascade" Third Place. These two chapters will be posted here for your reading pleasure.
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