Mama's Girl [Hardcover]

Veronica Chambers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 1996

In a moving and candid memoir, a young African-American writer describes growing up in Brooklyn with her mother and little brother as a member of the post-Civil Rights generation, discussing her relationship with her mother and the hard times they faced.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Chambers, an editor at Glamour, writes about the aftermath of the violent and explosive divorce between her Caribbean-born parents that tore her family apart. Chambers swore allegiance to her mother even though the anger her mother had accumulated from a destructive marriage and her frustration at her inability to move beyond a secretarial job was aimed mostly at Chambers. The author also suffered abuse at the hands of her father, stepfather and a stepmother. But instead of giving up, Chambers concentrated her energies on academics and making a better life for herself. Her compelling story is a testament to will, self-respect and the ability to forgive.

From School Library Journal

YA?A personal story of perseverance and achievement, this book is Chamber's self-examination as an African American woman. She fought the odds and has already succeeded far beyond the limits set for her by society and family. Her self-motivation was such that she constantly achieved academically in spite of moving from one school to another and coping with family abuse and lack of support for her educational goals. She graduated from college, secured internships with Sassy and Life magazines; she was chosen as one of Glamour magazine's Top Ten College Women of 1990. She is currently an editor of The New York Times magazine. Still in her 20s, this young woman has goals and dreams that she is still reaching in spite of growing up in severely dysfunctional family environments. Her autobiographical account reads beautifully and smoothly but far from easily as readers may keep asking themselves how this person was able to overcome so much in her life to attain such a high level of success at so young an age. Her story is not finished; her relationship with her mother is still evolving and maturing as she herself is becoming a fulfilled and contributing adult. Her early bitterness and anger toward her parents are mellowing into awareness and acceptance. A compelling, positive story for any collection serving YAs.?Dottie Kraft, Fairfax County Public Schools
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 194 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover (June 18, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573220302
• ISBN-13: 978-1573220309
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,985,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful tale of Overcoming Adversity and Forgiveness, April 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mama's Girl (Paperback)

I found Mama's Girl enjoyable reading. Ms. Chambers' writing style is wonderfully descriptive, while maintaining a tone of informal conversation. I think a lot of reviewers missed the point of Ms. Chambers' novel, which was that the power of forgiveness is possible, no matter what you have faced and it is possible to overcome no matter what has been thrown in your path. Although I can relate to Ms. Chambers in many ways, including age, I personally found more of the story in the tale of her mother's ability to overcome early in the novel. Anyone who is or has struggled with family issues, should read this book. I personally, got more out of Mama's Girl than the two novels I have read by author April Sinclair who also writes coming of age novels.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Adult's Review..., January 9, 2006

By 

K. Gaskins (rural Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mama's Girl (Paperback)

An incredibly moving, REAL memoir. Veronica takes you right beside her as she grows-- through every bit of ugliness and hardship growing up in her family all the way to seeing a dream come true. I could read this again and again. I first read it in college when I was 24. Hard to put down. Very compelling and sincere-- made me want to jump in and be her friend. If you are a high school age girl, I suspect you will really enjoy this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An all too familiar story..., September 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mama's Girl (Paperback)

I saw myself in almost every line of this book. It has let me know that there is hope...