Monique Parrish - Chasing Mother (Sausalito Store)

In Chasing Mother, we see an upside-down childhood. Monique's mother, ""Maria,"" is a beautiful, magnetic, dizzyingly smart woman. And she's an unsolvable Rubik's Cube who believes her life is a never-ending one-act play, with just one character. Vacillating between her many roles-doting mother, long-suffering saint, victim of everyone (especially her unbalanced psychiatrist ex-husband)-she is willing to act for any audience, including her six children. In this vibrant memoir, Monique Parrish chronicles Maria's profound neglect, indifference, and manipulation-and her own decades-long chase to win her mother's love. Once Monique makes the difficult decision to separate herself from her mother, she realizes that while she will never matter to her mother, she matters to herself. In finally making this break, she also comes to own and embrace the scars of her childhood, discovering in the process that they represent her strength, survival, and courage.

Dr. Monique Parrish is the Director of LifeCourse Strategies, a public health consulting firm. LifeCourse Strategies provides project management, community-based research, and policy analysis to public and non-profit organizations addressing the health and social service needs of underserved adults with chronic illness and disabilities. She is the author of numerous journal articles and reports addressing health, caregiving, and patient empowerment, and is a frequent presenter on these topics. Dr. Parrish began her career as a Peace Corps health volunteer in the Central African Republic. She received her Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and her Doctorate in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Parrish provides part-time clinical support to the Women’s Daytime Drop-In Center serving homeless women and families in Berkeley, California. 

Location: 

100 Bay Street
Sausalito, CA 94965