Jo Maeder

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Published by: Vivant Press
Release Date: April 6, 2009
Pages: 304
ISBN13: ‎ 978-0985548216

 
Synopsis

“This book is important to every mother and daughter, and to every woman who wants to be one.”
—Maya Angelou

I was a not-so-young DJ on a decidedly youth-driven New York City radio station (Z100) when a series of crises led me to do the unthinkable: move to the Bible Belt – “Greensboring,” North Carolina – to care for my ailing, estranged, hoarder mother. Everyone predicted Operation Mama Jo would be a disaster. My therapist suspected I had Rescuer Syndrome. My friends staged an intervention. Even Mama Jo wasn’t sure it would work. What followed was an unforgettable roller-coaster ride with my mother and her enormous doll collection, my born-again brother, the laid-back South, and first-time home ownership – plus a few drag queens along the way. It proved to be a magical, hilarious, and, at times, heartbreaking antidote to heal a long-fractured family. Most surprising, what I feared would be some of the worst years of my life turned out to be some of the best. The same was true for Mama Jo. By the way, there’s nothing boring about Greensboro.

The 2014 paperback and digital versions of When I Married My Mother contain an author interview, Mama Jo’s Favorite Cookie recipe, caregiving tips, and the discussion questions here.

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Praise

"This book is important to every mother and daughter, and to every woman who wants to be one."
—MAYA ANGELOU

“Hilarious, poignant, and utterly relevant to all of us facing adulthood with aging parents. And Mama Jo is a character I won’t soon forget! I adored this book.” —HOPE EDELMAN, New York Times bestselling author

“A wise, funny, and honest memoir. It doesn’t simplify the complicated relationship between a daughter and her mother. It celebrates it. I couldn’t put it down.” —NELL SCOVELL, co-author New York Times bestseller Lean In

“This generous gift of a book explores the mystery of how doing the right thing can, in the end, become infinitely more.” —TOMMY HAYS, author of In the Family Way

“Hilarious, heartbreaking, and real. When I Married My Mother captures the twists and turns of parenting one’s parents and shows the new relationships that can develop as a result.” —NANCY GILES, CBS News Sunday Morning commentator

“Jo Maeder’s tender-hearted, funny memoir is a gift. She expertly writes about the downs and ups of life with an aging parent—and Mama Jo is like no one you’ve ever met. This inspiring, warm, and wonderfully told love story is for everyone.” —JULIE KLAM, New York Times bestselling author

“Joining the league of classic mother-daughter memoirs, Jo Maeder’s book depicts this ancient tug of war with wit, candor, and charm. Damn you, Jo Maeder, for making me unable to put this down, and for making me cry.” —SARAH KERNOCHAN, Oscar winning film director, screenwriter, and author

“Heartening and wickedly funny. It’s Jo’s particular story, but it’s also the story of a generation. Two generations.” —BENJAMIN CHEEVER, author and host of About Writing