Ebook337 pages4 hours
Tears of My Mother: The Legacy of My Nigerian Upbringing
By Wendy Osefo
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
2/5
()
About this ebook
When star of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Potomac Dr. Wendy Osefo was growing up, her mother was her everything. But when she became a mother herself, everything changed. In this “exquisitely-drawn portrait of the intense bond that only a mother can have with a daughter” (Katie Haufner, author of Mother Daughter Me), Wendy explores how her Nigerian upbringing has affected her life, her success, and her role as a parent.
Wendy Osefo’s mother, Iyom Susan Okuzu, arrived in the United States from Nigeria with two things: a single suitcase and the fierce determination to make a better life for herself and her future family. And she succeeded: starting out working in a fast-food restaurant and ultimately becoming the director of nursing at a major metropolitan hospital.
While Susan may have taken pride in triumphing over every financial and emotional challenge, in Nigerian culture, a parent is only as successful as his or her children. And so her daughter, with gratitude and appreciation for her mother’s sacrifices, worked hard to meet every demand Susan made of her. With four advanced degrees and a position at Johns Hopkins University as a professor—as well as being a highly sought-after political commentator, a cherished wife, and a loving mother of three—Dr. Wendy has given her mother bragging rights for life. But at what cost to herself?
In Tears of My Mother, the star of The Real Housewives of Potomac describes growing up as a first-generation American, balancing two distinct cultures. And she takes a critical look at the paradox of her mother’s parenting: approval conditioned by achievement. As a teenager, Wendy struggled to carve out her own identity while still walking the narrow path of her mother’s expectations. Unwavering family loyalty and obedience gave Wendy the road map to making it in America, but it also drove a wedge between mother and daughter, never more so than when she began to build her own family.
“A love letter to Dr. Osefo’s mother and first-generation immigrants all across America” (Library Journal), this book is for anyone who has faced conflict in the mother-daughter relationship or wondered how much of their own upbringing they want to pass on to the next generation.
Wendy Osefo’s mother, Iyom Susan Okuzu, arrived in the United States from Nigeria with two things: a single suitcase and the fierce determination to make a better life for herself and her future family. And she succeeded: starting out working in a fast-food restaurant and ultimately becoming the director of nursing at a major metropolitan hospital.
While Susan may have taken pride in triumphing over every financial and emotional challenge, in Nigerian culture, a parent is only as successful as his or her children. And so her daughter, with gratitude and appreciation for her mother’s sacrifices, worked hard to meet every demand Susan made of her. With four advanced degrees and a position at Johns Hopkins University as a professor—as well as being a highly sought-after political commentator, a cherished wife, and a loving mother of three—Dr. Wendy has given her mother bragging rights for life. But at what cost to herself?
In Tears of My Mother, the star of The Real Housewives of Potomac describes growing up as a first-generation American, balancing two distinct cultures. And she takes a critical look at the paradox of her mother’s parenting: approval conditioned by achievement. As a teenager, Wendy struggled to carve out her own identity while still walking the narrow path of her mother’s expectations. Unwavering family loyalty and obedience gave Wendy the road map to making it in America, but it also drove a wedge between mother and daughter, never more so than when she began to build her own family.
“A love letter to Dr. Osefo’s mother and first-generation immigrants all across America” (Library Journal), this book is for anyone who has faced conflict in the mother-daughter relationship or wondered how much of their own upbringing they want to pass on to the next generation.
Author
Wendy Osefo
Dr. Wendy Osefo is a Nigerian American political commentator, public affairs academic, philanthropist, and television personality. She is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Education. She is also a cast member on The Real Housewives of Potomac.
Related to Tears of My Mother
Related ebooks
Facade: A Collection of Stories Celebrating the Strength of the Nigerian Woman Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHope and Glory: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Cost of Our Lives: Pandemic Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReason Not to Fall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary of thicker than water a memoir By Kerry Washington Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThrilling Tales of a Nigerian Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsO Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Like Joshua Said Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions: by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBwana Kidogo: Scenes from a colonial childhood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Piano Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Losing My Religion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Before the Leap: Based on a true story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPowder Necklace: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mangoes in the Rain: No One Can Take Away Your Imaginations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife Is Not a Fairy Tale Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Life You Choose Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Unknown Strength Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah's The Sex Lives of African Women Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKo-Foe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Fatherless to Fatherhood Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Nurseling: Memoirs of an Immigrant Nurse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoison Pen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Crazy Nigerian Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecrets of a Kept Woman: Secrets of a Kept Woman Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings12 Years a Slave Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Naija Stories: Of Tears and Kisses, Heroes and Villains Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Harlot Manifesto Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Souls of Black Folk Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Personal Memoirs For You
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glass Castle: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diary of a Young Girl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dry: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mediocre Monk: A Stumbling Search for Answers in a Forest Monastery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stash: My Life in Hiding Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Choice: Embrace the Possible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, A History, A Memorial Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bad Mormon: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Solutions and Other Problems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even If You Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Tears of My Mother
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
2/5
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Tears of My Mother - Wendy Osefo
lc book_preview_excerpt.html ]ےFr*VWRjX$$yGe_sNfp;M/ӷO?6_|yan i=
s&~6csH&-;mSsSl9ai<7=/4%?mԤk[<a斖T?OjT[ӆt9tLJgU׃)6gН0/Sl;`Y4`vZ%C^Kǫm/o[=MNa>S= 6.7G5ܕ4v?N˅K8Lv2SCsr9wM:ӘcqZ8q8!LOqƋ%&焁b~*v'`飭fnCO C 6P>Ig;"$ YPpr=Rsb1]s:/þnn4`(==!ib~hX fV a湛& 5 g= N4aQI'}M3ȗ W?-W AsX23.]c_)2e!\4psm"x-Qyn
yrÔh2ԝm1>"6pk,Qavі7ηW127fa]bsjz ~\!b>j.@?Qәv>It]¹2dLNB8M7y[S־j`[)e=B3+FĿfHS"[){KuPC7_DYlCi]`8l)4Z} f#_וb53s8baWT4;W+xw T8 aôK<}k=_#m7<#ˬXw|# - #e<ص{k{W[c64`Ǡ0ugd29w-Ezr+1k@4f*2
5}FZIalt?$Y ٱc؈[;BhuCIC m,t{ZxK!1Sílʮj7T;\$sAIxHзQ/})Ե:ypd˖2q҇z-at5Bcrcqfs}*wvd'(L~k:ґjM6'؋ YxgI۲ ^@Blb3
і6Qsht,yjNOԛÈlZ6qѴ_*CZPIVHҿfѦmr2r݁,qthvlMCe܀H<sc/=h+n?6f<ި=52Yio.s;EZ_f75eZ1$>DP+#`
!/l^;tYPZ2qIFa{8T>JsǬ
-L2SA|aZM^xR?R &0q/;ͽtS_.}
0H&8y ,ݤ*.M`Oj\s7ʗ90UZ,ciXԎL |h4|3IiVg&({4e)R6 :dkƟvG0`QŽh>ct2@ n:c?7uA7
2@mKVɱMi/0A5MxABDa4`dh,c_TPbQɷaz)h&w
Dk,