In prose at once powerful and lyrical, he describes his move away from depression and obsession, and the new way in which he begins to see his mother, a brilliant, passionate individual who was restless and driven. Becoming curious about her as a person rather than as a mother, Bordewich investigates his parents' and grandparents' lives, combing through newspapers and records, tracking down friends, teachers and colleagues. His research leads him to those who still love and remember LaVergne, an exceptional scholar and poet who quit writing in the mid-1930s to become a political activist. As the executive director of the Association of American Indian Affairs in New York, LaVergne helped pave the way for native self-government and sovereignty in the 1950s. A woman with a gift for organization, she achieved great things without losing her commitment to helping the oppressed.
Painful revelations accompany the son's joyous discoveries.
Bordewich uncovers his mother's hidden interior life of love and misery, joy and abuse. But in seeking the real LaVergne, he destroys the ghost that haunts him, finding in its stead a figure who is more fascinating, mysterious and complex than he suspected. My Mother's Ghost is a beautifully rendered memoir of his search for her true spirit, a poignant tribute to a remarkable woman. Mary Helen Clarke lives and writes in Nashville.