Book review by Robert L. Seltzer
“MY MOTHER AND I” by Thomas Hauser
“MY MOTHER AND I” is one of those books that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.
The book has a narrow focus – the relationship between a son and his mother. But there is nothing narrow or parochial about this approach. Like all talented writers, Thomas Hauser captures the universal by describing the particular.
A slim book – just 140 pages – the memoir is no less important for its brevity. The writing is bright and clear with gentle verses that reflect the emotions that inspired the child to write about his mother. She was a remarkable woman – strong, intelligent, and devoted to those less fortunate than herself.
Yet for all her noble virtues, we would never have met Eleanor Nordlinger Hauser — “Ellie” to her friends — without a son who oversaw her life. That deserves to be recorded. He was right, even though this book is not a holy relic. The author gives a full portrait of his mother, flaws and all, and she is made all the more admirable by her realistic depiction.
The book represents the ideal collaboration between storyteller and storyteller because, with all her wonderful qualities, it takes a talented writer to paint a full and living portrait moving about her. That the “brilliant writer” turned out to be her son added an almost heartbreaking poignancy to “MY MOTHER and I.”
Sentence after sentence, page after page, you read prose that demonstrates the greatest trait a writer can possess. Prose forces you to keep reading, but you don’t just read every word; you hear them, their rhythm and rhythm guiding you from one passage to the next. The cliché rings true with “MOTHER MOTHER and Me” – you won’t be able to put it down.
Robert L. Seltzer is a recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Distinguished Career in Boxing Journalism and is the author of two books – “Amado Muro and Me” and “Thursday Night at the Mall” .
