Living with Mother

By: Amy Hanson, Michele Hanson, Irma Kurtz

The last time I went to Jewish book week, it was to see my mother, Michele Hanson and three other Jewish mothers talking with Alison Pearson, a non Jewish mother about the collection they had all contributed to- For Generations, a collection of essays by and about Jewish motherhood. My only involvement was to be deeply embarrassed as I was forced to stand up and show myself in the audience while my mother pointed from stage and told 650 people that had I been a boy I would certainly be circumcised.

This year I am on the other side as my mother has a new book out called Living with Mother and is a collection of all her Guardian columns about three generations of Jewish women living together and I have written a short story in it from the perspective of me the Jewish granddaughter and what it is like caring for a huge character at home who becomes very ill but never loses her amazing eccentricity.

Being on stage with Irma Kurtz between my mother and I and talking to the audience was an amazing experience, and though, due to the blinding lights I couldn’t actually see them, hearing how both mine and my mothers writing had touched a chord with so many people pleased me yet saddened me because Grandma would have been absolutely thrilled to see her daughter and grand daughter talking about her at Jewish book week- she probably would have invited everyone at the sobel centre bridge club in Golders green so that she could gloat!

I am finishing a childhood memoir called Now That I’m Nine which is about the contrast between mixed families, coming from a very close set of Jewish females on my mothers’ side then as a child meeting me father and his Christian family who were totally detached from me. It is also about understanding what it is to be Jewish as opposed to look Jewish. Hopefully next Jewish Book week will see my work as well as my mothers available and make Grandma even prouder!