between mom and jo

Peters, Julie Anne. Between Mom and Jo. New York.Megan Tingley Books. 2006 This was my favorite book to read, I finished it in two days! I really enjoyed it's realism and the uniqueness of the situations, it really made it a page turner. Further, the book really made me think about how Nick and his family are similar to any family that goes through divorce, but because his mom's are gay it adds a lot of extra stress and drama to endure. I am really interested in how often this sort of situation occurs in the United States and how the families are usually split in terms of custody issues. The story of Nick and his mom's Jo and his biological mom, Erin begins as many stories do with memories of a great childhood and how well they all got along. The novel's plot turns from a functional family to a family that deals the alcoholism of one parent while the other battles cancer. I enjoy Julie Anne Peters' use of a common reason for the divorce rather than a situation that only two lesbians could go through. I think that there are some really great connections between the two lifestyles that made me realize how similar they really are. This realistically flawed family captured my attention the entire time. However, i found it a little unbelievable that Erin, the biological mom, would not let her son see Jo after the seperation because it seems like a very drastic twist of character. Overall, I think the book adds a great deal to my text set as a whole because it tells a story of divorce through the eyes of people who were in fact never married. I think the book sheds light on the fact that divorce is not always as easy as many children's books portray. Further, the book accentuates the idea that often the child is helpless in custody battles. At the same time, Peters really details the idea that family, no matter what combination of genders, is fragile and when it breaks it can shatter.
by: abigail O'Loughlin