Aug. 29, 2009 - Saturday Salon with Nationally Published Jo Maeder

Jo Maeder, in her forties, was a top-40 DJ in New York City, doing what she loved, filling in hours working voice-overs when not DJing, living the life of her dreams in the Apple surrounded by friends and celebrities.  Jo Maeder’s mother, also named Jo, was a widow in Virginia and at the age of eighty becoming frail of body and mind.  Jo and Jo had never been close and had led lives that were so distinct from each other that they were practically foreign; communication was hesitant, antagonistic, and avoided.  It was time someone stepped up to look after Mama Jo, and Jo’s one brother, Arthur, was not the man to do it. 

When I Married My Mother is the memoir of how Jo Maeder gave up her somewhat charmed life in New York City, bought a house in Greensboro, North Carolina where her brother Arthur lived, persuaded Mama Jo to leave her home of many years in Virginia, and set up housekeeping with the woman who had raised her but from whom she had become estranged by distance, lifestyle, and temperament.  It is a story of love developing on the dying end of a branch that is both haunting and bewitching, and it is a story of resilience and charm which will both uplift the reader and break the reader’s heart. 

Mama Jo collected dolls, but, as she aged she also collected almost everything, including unpaid bills, unfilled taxes, and trash.  Part was due to an urge to collect, part was due to a gradual descent into dementia.  Mama Jo also collected time; she was not known to move at any speed other than her own.  When Mama Jo was finally convinced to move to Greensboro, at least partially because her house was deemed uninhabitable by the authorities after she called 911, there were boxes to fill and ship, dumpsters to fill and haul, and an entire life that had to be put back in order.  Brother Arthur was helpful as time and family allowed, but, much of the burden fell on Jo.  And, once the move was completed, the care of Mama Jo laid mostly on Jo’s shoulders.   

And yet, it was a good thing, for Jo had a life to put back in order as well.  With looks back to earlier times in Mama Jo’s life, When I Married My Mother is a chronology of the final three years of Mama Jo’s life and the beginning of a new life for the author.  It is an important book, especially if you are caring for a parent, anticipate ever caring for a parent, or believe you will in fact have to be cared for by one of your children some day.  It is a book for anyone who is involved in eldercare in any way.  And it is a book for anyone who likes a well-written, thoughtful, timely memoir.  It is an inspirational story of reborn love.  It is funny even as it is heartrending. 

We at Literary Bookpost are looking forward to having Jo Maeder in our shop on Saturday, August 29^th, from 2:30-4:30 for a reception, talk, and book signing.  We hope to see you here with us so you may find out first hand the story of Mama Jo.