My Mother’s Sons provides a thoughtful model for how Western Christian workers can respectfully negotiate sexual boundaries and norms in Muslim contexts. Westerners are inclined to impose their own culturally shaped notions of gender equality and justice on non-egalitarian communities, alienating the very people they are seeking to serve. The author draws on his own research among Pakistani Pashtuns, intercultural theory, and exegesis of Christian and Islamic sacred texts to show that it is possible to work for transformational change without offending those who live within a patriarchal system.

"Hirshberg's debut novel packs both emotional punch and a vivid portrait of Jewish American life in post-WWII Boston. . . . Readers will find connections here to Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and to Saul Bellow's classic The Adventures of Augie March." —Booklist (ALA), starred review Shortlisted, Historical Fiction, Best Book Awards, 2020 American Book Fest "This amazing mosaic of fact and fiction will hold readers in its grip from the first to last page." —Library Journal, starred review Winner, Independent Press Award 2019 Literary Fiction Gold Medal Winner, Best Regional Fiction, 2018 Independent Press Awards Winner, Best Regional Fiction, 2018 National Indie Excellence Awards Winner, NYC Big Book Award in two categories: 2018 Historical Fiction and Debut Fiction Winner, Three CIPA EVVY Awards: 2019 Literary Fiction First Place; 2019 Historical Fiction Second Place; 2019 Debut Fiction Second place My Mother's Son, the meticulously-crafted debut novel from David Hirshberg, is a story told by a radio raconteur revisiting his past in post-World War II Boston, the playground and battleground for two brothers whose lives are transformed by discoveries they never could have imagined. From the opening line of the book, "When you're a kid, they don't always tell you the truth," the stage is set for this riveting coming-of-age story that plays out against the backdrop of the Korean War, the aftermath of the Holocaust, the polio epidemic, the relocation of a baseball team, and the shenanigans of politicians and businessmen. Hirshberg deftly weaves together events, characters, and clues and creates a rich tapestry of betrayal, persecution, death, loyalty, and unconditional love that resonates with today's America.

From the acclaimed photographer of Chronicle Books' bestselling Fathers and Daughters comes a companion collection of duotone portraits and poignant essays exploring the complex and compelling relationship between mothers and sons. This remarkable volume juxtaposes luminous portraits of famous and not-so-famous mothers and sons-including Virginia Kelley Clinton and Bill Clinton; Leah Adler and Stephen Spielberg; Jamaica Kincaid and Harold Shawn; and Ruth Bader Ginsburg and James Ginsburg. In the accompanying texts, mothers and sons reveal their most trying and most exalted moments together, recounting both the ordinary and the extraordinary with candor, humor, and emotion. A powerful tribute to the ties that bind, Mothers and Sons makes a unique and loving gift.

First published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

A long-hidden family secret. Possible infidelity. Death. Encephalitis. Child abuse. These are the hardships assailing Esther Zysset and her four sons against the backdrop of the Great Depression and World War II. Over years of dialogue with his brothers, Kenneth has compiled his family biography; each page is filled with heartache, written with love, and shrouded in mystery. My Mother's Sons weaves stories of growing up on a farm in the '20s and '30s, heading off to war, and growing into manhood. Esther is the central figure in this narrative as the loving but tough matriarch, and as answers come, other questions surface about the nature of the relationship between Esther and the pastor in her small Missouri town. Could it be that the four brothers—Raymond, Leonard, Gerry, and Kenneth—were not true biological brothers? Their mother went to her grave holding a long-hidden family secret. However, the key to unlocking the mystery was not buried with her. My Mother's Sons will take you back to the beginning—1920 Missouri—to highlight the struggles, sacrifices, sins, and ultimately survival of a generation born out of the Great Depression.

With dazzling brilliance and empathy, Colm Tóibín's collection of stories wrestles with complicated themes of emotional restraint, the long reach of sexual repression, and the difficulty of escaping one's past. Each of the nine stories in this beautifully written, intensely intimate collection centers on a transformative moment that alters the delicate balance of power between mother and son, or changes the way they perceive one another. With exquisite grace and eloquence, Tóibín writes of men and women bound by convention, by unspoken emotions, by the stronghold of the past. Many are trapped in lives they would not choose again, if they ever chose at all. A man buries his mother and converts his grief to desire in one night. A famous singer captivates an audience, yet cannot beguile her own estranged son. And in "A Long Winter," Colm Tóibín's finest piece to date, a young man searches for his mother in the snow-covered mountains where she has sought escape from the husband who controls and confines her. Winner of numerous awards for his fifth novel, The Master—including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award—Tóibín brings to this stunning first collection an acute understanding of human frailty and longing. These are haunting, profoundly moving stories by a writer who is himself a master.

Foundational wisdom on how mothers can build emotional, spiritual, and sexual stability in their sons.