The Mother Wound

Author(s): Amani Haydar

Adult | Young Adult | Fiction | Western Sydney Authors

'A magnificent and devastating work of art. There is a raging anger here, and a deep sorrow, but at the core Haydar gives us truths about love. This is one of the most important books I've ever read.' Bri Lee'I am from a family of strong women.'Amani Haydar suffered the unimaginable when she lost her mother in a brutal act of domestic violence perpetrated by her father. Five months pregnant at the time, her own perception of how she wanted to mother (and how she had been mothered) was shaped by this devastating murder.After her mother's death, Amani began reassessing everything she knew of her parents' relationship. They had been unhappy for so long - should she have known that it would end like this? A lawyer by profession, she also saw the holes in the justice system for addressing and combating emotional abuse and coercive control.Amani also had to reckon with the weight of familial and cultural context. Her parents were brought together in an arranged marriage, her mother thirteen years her father's junior. Her grandmother was brutally killed in the 2006 war in Lebanon, adding complex layers of intergenerational trauma.Writing with grace and beauty, Amani has drawn from this a story of female resilience and the role of motherhood in the home and in the world. In The Mother Wound, she uses her own strength to help other survivors find their voices. Praise for The Mother Wound'Shattering, unforgettable, beautifully told.' Randa Abdel-Fattah'Gripping, transcendent, tender and, at times, infuriating. With a daughter's heart and a lawyer's mind, Amani Haydar maps the territory that connects the wars we fight abroad to the wars we endure in our homes.' Jess Hill

"Whether you are my brother in faith or only in humanity, if you are not ready to listen, to help change the story, you cannot have mine."


This is the story of Amani Haydar, of her mother who was killed by Amani's father, and of her grandmother whose life was taken during the Lebanese Civil War. Amani recounts the harsh reality of women who fall victim to domestic violence and war, their voices forever fading amidst a world of criticism and conflict.


This book is a genuine testimony to pain and transformation, where we witness chapters of suffering revealed by death, and questions about beliefs, family relationships, and motherhood in particular. What is a mother? What is her image in memory and in reality? These social questions revolve within the context of confronting the past and the present simultaneously.


The Mother Wound is an example of beautiful, courageous writing—a story of the resilience of women and motherhood anywhere in the world. By sharing her story so truthfully, Amani empowers survivors of violence to reclaim their voices and find strength in their own stories.


Amani aptly drew inspiration for the title of her debut memoir from the concept of "the mother wound," the generational traumas passed down from mothers to daughters.


 


Product Information

General Fields

  • : 9781760982454
  • : Pan Macmillan Australia Pty, Limited
  • : Pan Macmillan Australia Pty, Limited
  • : 0.3
  • : 01 June 2021
  • : {"length"=>["23.3"], "width"=>["15.4"], "units"=>["Centimeters"]}
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Amani Haydar
  • : Paperback
  • : 1
  • : English
  • : 352
  • : BG