Mama's Girl

A young woman reflects on her childhood and her relationship with her hard-working immigrant mother, exploring important issues about what children need from their mothers and what children are capable of giving to them in return. Reprint."

Chambers, an editor at Glamour, writes about the aftermath of the violent and explosive divorce between her Caribbean-born parents that tore her family apart. Chambers swore allegiance to her mother even though the anger her mother had accumulated from a destructive marriage and her frustration at her inability to move beyond a secretarial job was aimed mostly at Chambers. The author also suffered abuse at the hands of her father, stepfather and a stepmother. But instead of giving up, Chambers concentrated her energies on academics and making a better life for herself. Her compelling story is a testament to will, self-respect and the ability to forgive.