Review of Love Ya, Mom

[That Reviewer]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Love Ya, Mom" by David W Brower.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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David W. Brower's memoir is a scintillating tribute to his mother, Madeline Chinn Nass. It contains stories of his life with her, their relationship with family and friends, and the impact of those relationships.

The author narrates the story of his love journey with the woman that gave him life. As an only son of his mother, he gave no thought to packing up and driving down to be with his mother when she needed him. We see his mother, a strong woman with her addiction to cigarettes and gambling, through his eyes. His mother's medical diagnosis brings them together in a profound way and draws others in as well.

On finding that Love Ya, Mom is a memoir, I prepared myself for a difficult read, as I always thought that biographies of any sort tend to be boring with no actual plot. I was pleasantly surprised how David used short sentences to tell this story of his life with his mother refreshingly and endearingly. I found myself almost forgetting it was nonfiction due to the creative movement of the story. The pictures of Aunt Leda, the 'Boring Buddies,' and others allowed me to put a face to the characters. Thus, I connected with them while getting a feel of the era in which they lived.

This memoir was steeped in emotions, and I found my eyes occasionally clouded with tears. For instance, when the author encountered a deer on the way to visit his mother's hospital bedside, the ensuing "conversation" was touching. And yet, at other times, I laughed at the hilarity of some scenes. One such scene was when David described the outcome of his job in the dot.com industry. Here are the words he used: "not a swan dive but a full on kamikaze, you're all gonna die kind of dive." Another hilarious incident was when Madeline fell from her bed, and David said, "Mother, if you ever do that again, I won't give you any cookies." It was also very encouraging to find the author's sense of humor expressed even while going through the most heart-wrenching experiences.

Much of David's personality as a loving gentleman also showed forth, and I gleaned this from how he seemed to respect his friends and appreciate relationships. It felt as if, like his mum, he was a superhuman of some sort, not given to the pettiness that commonly besets normal humans. I say this because of the way he adored his high school sweetheart, the hope he held out to rekindle his long-distance relationship, and the thoughtful, heart-warming poem he sent to her when she had her surgery.

I did understand the sentiment that informed the story's structure — starting from the last chapter to the first. While endearing, this order made it quite challenging to keep up with the story's timelines. For instance, moving from 2001 to 1964, to 1992, back to 2001, and then 2007 felt a little overwhelming. As much as I was impressed by this unique concept, a chronological arrangement of events would help readers quickly adjust to this unconventional structure.

This memoir made me deeply consider my immortality — how fickle life is and how beautiful it is at the same time. At the end of my reading, it was like I had sat through a stretch of motivational speeches. I was also inspired by the other authors from whom many excerpts of inspiration were drawn.

This memoir would be a good fit for younger and older audiences interested in a memoir that promotes family values. To the younger audience, it would teach them self-love, faith, and the power of kindness. To the older audience, it would teach them gratitude and strength. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it was more of a teaching tool than a memoir, and it has the potential to motivate, inspire, and push its readers to be the best versions of themselves.

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Love Ya, Mom
View: on Bookshelves

[Deprise Evans]

This sounds like such a heartwarming and beautiful memoir. Thank you for the great review!

[Suzer6440 xyz]

I love memoirs! This is truly inspiring and it was refreshing to read through this perfect review….

[Amanda Dobson]

I love these kind of books. It reminds me of all the stories I have with my own mother and grandmother. It is something that can never be forgotten. It sounds like it was a very emotional read and going by experience with similar books, I know that if I were to read it I would have many tears. Just reading the review brought many strong emotions forward. Thank you for the beautiful review you did on this book that is a tribute to the love between mother and child.