As with most books of essays by different authors, this was hit or miss. It was definitely an interesting selection representing many different types of relationships (from super tight-knit/loving to abusive/estranged and what most of us experience which is something in between). Didn't pack as much of a punch as I wanted it to, but a few were really interesting-- I did appreciate how some of the writers really captured how complicated and singular our relationships with our mothers are. Thought it was weird to end with the essay by the writer who had the most unequivocally positive relationship with their mom since the focus of the book was on how inevitably fraught 99% of us find our mother/child relationships.