{"product_id":"a-mothers-tale-hardcover","title":"A Mother's Tale - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003ePhillip Lopate\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1984, Phillip Lopate sat down with his mother, Frances, to listen to her life story. A strong, resilient, indomitable woman who lived through the major events of the 20th century, she was orphaned in childhood, ran away and married young, then reinvented herself as a mother, war factory worker, candy store owner, community organizer, clerk, actress and singer. But paired with exciting anecdotes are the criticisms of the husband who couldn't satisfy her, the details of numerous affairs and sexual encounters, and though she succeeded at many of her roles, Fran always felt mistreated, taken advantage of. After the interviews, at a loss for what to do with the tapes, Lopate put them away. But thirty years after, after his mother had passed away, Lopate found himself drawn back to the recordings of this conversation, and thus begins a three-way conversation between a mother, his younger self, and the person he is today. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTrying to break open the family myths, rationalizations, and self-deceptions, \u003ci\u003eA Mother's Tale \u003c\/i\u003eis about family members who love each other but who can't seem to overcome their mutual mistrust. Though Phillip is sympathizing to a point, he cannot join her in her operatic displays of self-pity and her blaming his father for everything that went wrong. His detached, ironic character has been formed partly in response to her melodramatic one. The climax is an argument in which he tries to persuade her, using logic, of all things, that he really does love her, and is only partially successful, of course. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Mother's Tale\u003c\/i\u003e is about something primal and universal: the relationship between a mother and her child, the parent disappointed with the payback, the child, now fully grown, judgmental. The humor is in the details.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePhillip Lopate\u003c\/b\u003e is a central figure in the resurgence of the American essay and the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Art of the Personal Essay\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBachelorhood, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Against Joie de Vivre\u003c\/i\u003e, among others. He is a professor in the graduate nonfiction program at Columbia University.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 200\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 9.3 x 6.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 15, 2017\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52553780003109,"sku":"9780814213315","price":26.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0987\/2487\/2485\/files\/lztta3ozlv9780814213315.webp?v=1781353865","url":"https:\/\/c4lhome.com\/products\/a-mothers-tale-hardcover","provider":" Companion for Life Five Home","version":"1.0","type":"link"}