Bettyville : : a Memoir

Locations
Call Number: 921 Hodgman, George, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / General / Hodgman, George
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	921 Hodgman, George	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / General / Hodgman, George	4-week checkout	On Shelf

"A witty, tender memoir of a son's journey home to care for his irascible mother--a tale of secrets, silences, and enduring love. When George Hodgman leaves Manhattan for his hometown of Paris, Missouri, he finds himself--an unlikely caretaker and near-lethal cook--in a head-on collision with his aging mother, Betty, a woman of wit and will. Will George lure her into assisted living? When hell freezes over. He can't bring himself to force her from the home both treasure--the place where his father's voice lingers, the scene of shared jokes, skirmishes, and, behind the dusty antiques, a rarely acknowledged conflict: Betty, who speaks her mind but cannot quite reveal her heart, has never really accepted the fact that her son is gay. As these two unforgettable characters try to bring their different worlds together, Hodgman reveals the challenges of Betty's life and his own struggle for self-respect, moving readers from their small town-crumbling but still colorful-to the star-studded corridors of Vanity Fair. Evocative of The End of Your Life Book Club and The Tender Bar, Hodgman's debut is both an indelible portrait of a family and an exquisitely told tale of a prodigal son's return"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Touching submitted by Zekicmom on August 25, 2017, 6:53pm An honest telling of the author's life as he looks back on his childhood and the places and people who were in his life as he returns home to care for his mother at the end of her life. He came of age at a time when homosexuality was not easily excepted or understood, even by himself. I read the book hoping for a happy ending, and was glad to discover that ultimately he was at peace with his mother and able to infuse humor into what could otherwise be a tear jerker.

Excellent book - heartwarming and funny submitted by denisemw on August 9, 2019, 11:38am Excellent book - well written and honest view of growing up in a small town in the US, and the destruction that typically plagues such places in today's world. Such places are typically homogenous, and the author has an engaging and eloquent way of describing the community/relationships/interactions, both in his childhood and present day. Great read for anyone from a small town who moved to a 'bigger' place. Following up on the other reviewer's 2017 comment on the author - google him

Mother and child reunion submitted by cdeucher on August 6, 2023, 4:33pm George comes back to the small town he grew up in to take care of his mother who has never really accepted his homosexuality. In the course of the time spent together both of them come to understand and make some semblance of peace in their relationship.