mother cover
Good Books rating 4.5
Technical
  • ID: 1597
  • Added: 2025-10-08
  • Updated: 2025-10-08
  • ISBN: 9780143137832
  • Publisher: Penguin
  • Published: 2024-07-16
  • Reviews: 3

mother is a stunning, multimorphic work that defies traditional genre boundaries, combining poetry and prose to delve into the intimate fracture of an Indigenous child adopted out of her tribe and raised by a non-Indian family. The unnamed narrator, as an adult, embarks on a journey to piece together her birth family's history through oral histories, family lore, and imagined pasts and futures, creating a collage of their community. This work raises profound questions about adoption, inheritance, and Indigenous identity in America, all while mirroring the nonlinear process of constructing a sense of self through unconventional poetic vignettes. /n/n Crafted by m.s. RedCherries, mother is an indelible and utterly original exploration of the winding roads that lead us home. It is a work that is both deeply personal and universally resonant, challenging readers to reflect on the complexities of identity and belonging.

Reviews
CHJournal · Hunter Weinke · 2024-09-09
profound 4.50

The reviewer describes the book as a landscape of questions about identity, place, family, and Indigeneity, praising its depth and resonance.

Hunter Weinke's review in CHJournal praises 'mother' as a work that poses essential questions about identity, place, family, and what it means to be Indigenous. The reviewer highlights the book's ability to resonate deeply, offering readers a complex and thought-provoking exploration of these themes. The review emphasizes the book's emotional and intellectual impact, making it a significant contribution to contemporary literature.


Quick quotes

    m.s. RedCherries' collection, mother, is a landscape of questions.

    Questions about identity, place, family, and what it means to be Indigenous.

    The reviewer highlights the book's ability to resonate deeply, offering readers a complex and thought-provoking exploration of these themes.

Goodreads · 2024-07-16
powerful 4.50

The reviewer describes the book as a stunning, multimorphic work of poetry and prose about Indigenous identity, highlighting its intimate and fractured narrative.

This Goodreads review emphasizes the book's exploration of Indigenous identity through a blend of poetry and prose. The reviewer notes that the work is rooted in the intimate fracture of an Indigenous child being adopted out of her community, offering a powerful exploration of identity, family, and culture. The review highlights the book's ability to balance personal and collective experiences.


Quick quotes

    A stunning, multimorphic work of poetry and prose about Indigenous identity.

    mother is a work rooted in an intimate fracture: an Indigenous child is adopted out of her community.

    The reviewer notes that the work is rooted in the intimate fracture of an Indigenous child being adopted out of her community.

Southern Review of Books · 2024-07-15
captivating 4.50

The reviewer praises the book's blend of poetry and prose, noting its ability to bend time, place, memory, and space through a linguistic and sensory experience.

This review highlights the unique blend of poetry and prose in 'mother', creating a captivating experience that challenges traditional narrative forms. The reviewer emphasizes the book's ability to weave together complex elements like time, place, memory, and space, offering readers a rich and immersive journey. The focus is on the emotional and intellectual impact of the work, rather than just its technical aspects.


Quick quotes

    In its pages, the poem and essay forms blend and melt, creating a linguistic and sensory experience that bends time, place, memory, and space.

    The reviewer praises the book's blend of poetry and prose, noting its ability to bend time, place, memory, and space through a linguistic and sensory experience.

    The focus is on the emotional and intellectual impact of the work, rather than just its technical aspects.