Mothers, Tell Your Daughters - Book Review

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Mothers, Tell Your Daughters is a collection of previously published short stories from author Bonnie Jo Campbell. Each of these stories tells the tale of a different woman: mothers, daughters, grandmothers, nurses, farmers, drug addicts. And usually, each of these stories involves a jerk of a man.

"A Multitude of Sins" tells the story of a woman taking care of her dying husband, trying to get him to apologize for beating her and driving off their only son when he was well.

Or how about the mother in "Tell Yourself" concerned about her teenage daughter's budding sexuality and how the men in the world - a friend's father, the mother's boyfriend - will respond to the teen daughter and her low-rise short-shorts.

And there's the title story, "Mothers, Tell Your Daughters", about a mother who is ridden speechless by a stroke and can only think of all the things she wants to say to the daughter who is now her caregiver.

Sixteen different stories. Some short. Some long. And if you're female, all of them will make you think about the relationships you have with your mother, husband, daughter, son, friends, co-workers. The stories may also make you very afraid to have a daughter.

Mothers, Tell Your Daughters is published by W. W. Norton & Company and is on bookstore shelves now. I received a free advance review copy at Book Expo America with no obligation to review.