Are you confused about what can be a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift but don’t have much time for it? It might be too late for a personalised gift, but there’s one gift you might be able to buy in a jiffy: a book. Whether your mother is a bookworm or you want to encourage her to begin reading books. This can be a good starting point. She is going to appreciate this gesture, we think. Which book should you gift her? There’s likely a novel out there that will suit her interests. Here are few author recommended books that can be amazing Mother’s Day gifts.
Books can be Cathartic, enjoyable and also revolutionary. For me, some books have been life-altering and transformational, bringing home my own evolution as a woman and as a human.
These books shine bright when I think of books that women must read.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
I read this book at a young age when conditioning and gender-specific roles were the norms. For the first time, it brought home the havoc keeping silent in the face of injustice can cause. It shocked me is an understatement, but then I thought this is a dystopian setting and hence very unlikely that it could ever occur for real. Recently, as Wade vs Roe is being relooked at in the USA, we are on the precipice of the book having foretold the future of women. Hence, this book is the most pertinent in today’s time.
Jorasanko by Aruna Chakravarti
This book is a layered symphony of women trying to find themselves, fulfil their dreams, carving out love in their mundane lives constrained by a patriarchal society. This struggle for space in a man’s world has remained the same in all spectrums and verticals and through all ages. The book is the story of the women of Rabindranath Tagore’s household and their personal challenges. But I think that women of today will find women characters who are relatable and who voice their pain and longing.
Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
I don’t know of any woman who is a reader and has not read this book. It is one of the must-haves. The story of Draupadi, of the Mahabharat from her point of view. It taught me that a changed outlook can make all the difference in assessing a person. One person’s right can be another person’s wrong. Were there any winners in this Dharma Yudha? It raised more questions than answers and set me on a quest to fill the gaps that I had never even thought to question.
—Dr. Harshali Singh, author of ‘A Paradox of Dreams’
Nothing epitomises better than what Oliver Wendell Holmes said about mother, Youth fades; “love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.”
Thinking about instances when a mother inspired a son or a daughter to create a new world, I always remember three books.
My Experiments with Truth By Mahatma Gandhi
This book is an inspiring account of how Mahatma Gandhi’s love and respect for his mother finally blooms into his courage and conviction to lead India to freedom.
Conqueror Series by Conn Iggulden
This book on life of Ghenghis Khan is an inspiring story of how a mother inspired a destitute child hounded by many to become the ruler of the world.
Shivaji: The Great Maratha by Ranjit Desai
This is the best example and can inspire anyone how the blessings from a mother can inspire someone to face even the unsurmountable dangers and emerge victorious every time.
—Gautam Borah, Director of and eCommerce set-up, Speaker, and author of ‘Monetising Innovation’
There are several memorable books that I can suggest but these particular ones stand out for me. In my opinion, these three books can be wonderful Mother’s Day gifts.
Family – The Ties that Bind…And Gag! by Erma Bombeck
Bombeck’s style of writing is fun, humorous, easy and full of family faux pas anecdotes. This book was like a bible for me during my early days of motherhood. The challenges of bringing up a child with many allergies, my shift into a new city, forging relationships with new in-laws as relatives, no income, stretch marks and being overweight, Bombeck kept my spirits alive.
The Mother by Maxim Gorky
This book was part of my English literature. As a young girl, literature moved me. But when I became a mother, only then I realised the sacrifices she had made for her son. ‘The Mother by Maxim Gorky’ moved me beyond words.
Aam Atir Bhepu by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay
This is the film ‘Pather Panchali’ by Satyajit Ray that was the adaptation from the Bengali novel ‘Aam Atir Bhepu’. The story is set in rural Bengal of a poor family of 4 with a widowed aunt. The novel is poignant, full of pathos that even today some parts of the book makes me weep copiously thinking of Sarbajaya the mother. She suffers daily indignities heaped on her as a poor family. She reacts to situations against her nature while raising her rebellious daughter Durga, who one day falls ill and finally dies in the novel. Her struggles and her little moments of joy will remain etched in my heart forever. As I write these lines, I can see Sarbajaya in so many women who are mothers and are bravely fighting each day to be there for their children.
—Mohua Chinappa, author of ‘Nautanki Saala Other Stories’