{"product_id":"lessons-from-my-mothers-life","title":"Lessons From My Mother's Life","description":"Was the 1950s “happy housewife” really all that happy?\n\nHousewives in post-war America had it all: fulfilled marriages, clean-cut kids, comfortable suburban homes with nice yards and two-car garages, and all the latest gadgets to make their housework easier.\n\nThe pain and horror of World War II were over. The economy was booming, and America was a world leader. American housewives were what they were always meant to be: supporting husbands, raising children, and building a home. Theirs was a life of ease. They were the fairytale princesses with the happy ending.\n\nThe women’s magazines told them so. The advertisements for laundry detergent and TV dinners told them so. The doctors who treated their children’s colds told them so.\n\nWomen in 1950s America were sold a bill of goods about their purpose in life and their futures. Some bought it and some didn’t.\n\nThe five women in these five stories didn’t.\n\nThese stories dig deep into the lives of five fictional characters whose gut told them their lives weren’t happy. They wanted something more.\n\nIn Fumbling Toward Freedom, Susan reconsiders her plans to forgo college for marriage after visiting an art exhibit one Saturday afternoon.\n\nMother of Mischief tells of Mary, who discovers her true worth after a tragic episode in her loveless marriage brings her past to light.\n\nThe story Soul Destinations is about Joan’s encounter with a has-been musician on a train that launches her soul’s journey.\n\nIn Devoted, Rachel’s Aunt Amelia teaches her about the consequences of a woman who takes on the role of caretaker and loses her identity in the process.\n\nAnd, finally, there is Two Sides of Life, a story based on a true incident. Leanne’s platonic bond with the wife of her husband’s lab assistant shows her the true meaning of life just at the dawn of the women’s movement.\n\nFive stories. Five women. Five roads that will lead to self-identity and fulfillment.\n\nThese are the stories of your mother or your grandmother, or even your great-grandmother. They are stories about the women we all know.\n\nPurchase Lessons From My Mother’s Life today and walk in the shoes of five American women struggling with what Betty Friedan called “The Problem That Has No Name.”\n\nWhat reviewers are saying:\n“Smart, interesting, and down-to-earth, these are stories that are close to the heart of every woman, either because they lived through something similar, or because, as the title says, our mothers did.”\n“Great short stories that really do speak to what women had to face in the mid-20th century.”\n“I know my mother absolutely could have personally dealt with some of the experiences described in the book!”\n\nThis book also includes an Author’s Note and a bonus chapter from The Specter, the first book of the author’s Gilded Age saga, the Waxwood Series.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 099819798X\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.099819798X.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:May, Tam\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44452947787837,"sku":"BVV.099819798X.G","price":11.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/099819798X-0.jpg?v=1793914934","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/lessons-from-my-mothers-life","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}