“Unforgettable: A Son, A Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime” by Scott Simon

I have been thinking about my mom a lot. She has been a widow now for five months. Her new status is not getting any easier for her but I do think it is getting more familiar. Although her three children are all in their late 40s or early 50s, she is now a single mom and that feels different for all of us. In the past, whenever I was happy, sad, mad, thrilled or confused about something I could call on either of my parents for advice and support, But now my mom has to take all of my calls and text messages. I’m sure some times she seems fine with this and other times dealing with three adult children (especially us) can feel overwhelming. “Unforgettable: A Son, A Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime” by Scott Simon is the inspiring story of a woman who pretty much raised her son on her own. Although she was married several times, for most of his life, Scott Simon had only his mom, Patricia Lyons Simon Newman, to depend on. Scott is a journalist and host of the Weekend Edition Saturday on National Public Radio. Many reviewers called his book “big hearted” and that is a perfect phrase for it. In July 2013, as his mother was dying at the age of 84 from a lung infection, Simon took to Twitter from her hospital room. His numerous tweets were soon followed by 1.2 million people, and later sparked the idea for a bigger story. Within the pages of this book, Simon recalled how his mother taught him to be honest, kind, polite, dignified and entertaining. His mother was not only a mom but also a supremely glamorous woman who dated mobsters, and for a brief time, worked as a hand model: Her thumb appeared in an advertisement for Diet Rite Cola. “Unforgettable” is a book that will resonate with any adult who has had to say goodbye to a parent, especially a terrific parent like Scott Simon’s mom. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.