What My Mother and I Don't Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence (What We Don't Talk About Book 1)

An anthology edited by Michele Filgate featuring fifteen writers who examine mother-daughter relationships and what remains unspoken between them. Filgate's own essay about how childhood abuse by her stepfather affected her relationship with her mother went viral after publication, inspiring this collection. The contributors explore various dimensions of these relationships. Leslie Jamison investigates her mother's life before motherhood. Cathi Hanauer describes finally having an uninterrupted conversation with her mother. André Aciman writes about having a deaf mother. Melissa Febos examines her relationship with her psychotherapist mother through mythology. Julianna Baggott reflects on a mother who shares everything with her. The collection addresses family trauma, silence, and healing. As Filgate notes, mothers serve as our first homes, and acknowledging what could not be said offers a path toward healing relationships with others and ourselves. Contributors include Cathi Hanauer, Melissa Febos, Alexander Chee, Dylan Landis, Bernice L. McFadden, Julianna Baggott, Lynn Steger Strong, Kiese Laymon, Carmen Maria Machado, André Aciman, Sari Botton, Nayomi Munaweera, Brandon Taylor, and Leslie Jamison.