Review: A look at solo parenting before there was as much support and acceptance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 9, 2014
As the mother of a special needs child, I am always in awe when I read stories of parents who faced their own children's struggles head-on in times that were far less enlightened than now. Sipolski's book, while a filled-in-the-gaps memoir and honoring of his mother's life, really whispers to its readers about what it must have been like to face the prejudices and misunderstandings surrounding anyone who was "different." His mother, Iris, faced obstacles that would be enough to break the back of anyone less strong, even if they were single obstacles: moving to a new city halfway across the country at eighteen, marrying a man who ships out to WWII and ultimately leaves her a young widow, two young children to raise on her own, and polio striking her family. Any of those would be enough to turn someone weak and bitter, but Iris handles all of them with as much optimism as she can muster.