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All of our stories begin with our mothers.

When a young girl discovers her parent’s painful secrets, her sense of self unravels, eliciting a long path to healing, acceptance, and love.

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From the author

When we examine our parent’s secrets, what do they reveal about ourselves?

When I became a mother, I realized my childhood could influence the kind of mother I would be to my son. The stakes had become higher. I had to find a way to address painful parts of my adolescence to release my son from the legacy of my burdens.

It led me to question: If I imagined what it was like to live my mother’s childhood, would I truly get to know my mother? Would I see my own life more clearly?

Perhaps in reliving my mother’s story, I would reveal something about myself. Then I could be set free from the pain of the past, and so could she.

The nagging questions led to a single pursuit: to understand how my mother’s experience lay at the root of what happened to me when I was young.

This story is about why my mother’s life should be written and shared. It is also a story about why I was meant to write it for her.

Reviews and praise

I wept, I laughed, and I wanted to call my mom…

“It is a great act of love when a daughter works hard to fully understand her mother’s life. In Both Sides of Then, Jennifer Griffith does exactly that. This memoir chronicles a daughter making sense of her own experience by unraveling the mystery of her mother’s life. I wept, I laughed, and I wanted to call my mom after I finished this beautiful book.”

Julie Barton, New York Times bestselling author of Dog Medicine

A mesmerizing journey through empathy to forgiveness…

“Jennifer Griffith’s steely, calm voice is a marvel of compassion as she boldly inhabits her mother’s pain in order to understand her own. Both Sides of Then is a mesmerizing journey through empathy to forgiveness, written with clear-eyed bravery and love.”

Rachel Howard, author of The Lost Night and The Risk of Us

The only narrative more elemental than our own is our mother’s.

“In Both Sides of Then, Jennifer Griffith expertly weaves her story of a troubled childhood with her mother’s experience growing up an orphan. We come to understand two fundamental truths: we inherit much more than we realize and the only narrative more elemental than our own is our mother’s. This compelling memoir expertly explores family history, abandonment, resilience, and ultimately, an imperfect but honest kind of love.”

Shanti Brien, author of Almost Innocent

…A book that should be read and shared by mothers, daughters, and women everywhere.

“Jennifer’s writing is extraordinary and rich. You’re reading about events in the 50s and 60s but it is so vivid as if Jennifer has stepped back into her mother’s shoes. I’m very proud to be publishing Both Sides of Then, particularly in today’s changing landscape for women’s rights. It is a book that should be read and shared by mothers, daughters, and women everywhere.”

Debra Englander, Consulting Editor, Regalo Press

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All of our stories begin with our mothers.

When we examine our parent’s secrets, what do they reveal about ourselves?

I wept, I laughed, and I wanted to call my mom…

A mesmerizing journey through empathy to forgiveness…

The only narrative more elemental than our own is our mother’s.

…A book that should be read and shared by mothers, daughters, and women everywhere.

Book Club Kit

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