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Dorenda Doyle
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How I Learned to Like My Mom: Forgive Those You Love ... Before It's Too Late Kindle Edition

by Dorenda Doyle (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 99 ratings
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A feisty Honky-Tonk Gal who drank too much, parented too little, and married 7 men! She was beautiful, talented, wrote country songs, and just happened to be my mother.

Can you love someone but not Like them?

Can you forgive what you can't forget?

Is it ever too late?


Set in the Midwest, this Tears to Cheers Memoir details my journey through a difficult (some would say, traumatic) childhood of alcohol, abuse, divorce, neglect and poverty. But it also details the life of a resilient woman who battled her own demons, the prejudices of the last century, gender discrimination, and plain old bad luck, all while trying to raise 4 kids with little to no resources.

Don’t despair ... healing is possible when forgiveness is present.

Forgive those you love ... Before it's too late.

I offer my story of healing and forgiveness as I discovered that my mom was actually a pretty likable, remarkable, and admirable person ... I just had to get to know her.😉

This memoir is for anyone who had a difficult or traumatic childhood due to an alcoholic, abusive mom or parent. Most especially, this book is for anyone who has someone to forgive what you can't forget. To forgive your mom (or parent), heal yourself, and to find peace is priceless. My book is a clean adult nonfiction or juvenile nonfiction (ages 16 and up) biography for women and men, and is suitable for a teen, young adult, or adult. The subjects of elder abuse, substance abuse, child abuse, parenting, marriage, and health & daily living are all addressed.

Scroll up and click on BUY FOR ME (right side) to get your Kindle eBook or click on Kindle Unlimited to read for free! Get HOW I LEARNED TO LIKE MY MOM today ... filled with photographs dating back to the early 1900's!

And please, follow me as an author to get updates on future books and short-stories.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    250 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    April 23, 2022
  5. Reading age
    14 - 18 years
  6. File size
    85121 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is raw, honest, and inspires the reader to see the good in all people--even those that seem pretty unlovable." -- Libby Wilson, Doctor and Life Coach

About the Author

I am an animal lover, a grandkid spoiler, and an occasional biking enthusiast! (If I spent more time on that third activity, I might be healthier. LOL)

I'm married to the greatest guy on earth because he brings laughter into my life every day. As a retired teacher, I love to travel, especially the National and State Parks.

Lately, I've been asked what and when will I write next ... all I can say is I just hope it doesn't take me another 67 years to write my next book! --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09YQN833K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bootstraps, LLC. (April 23, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 23, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 85121 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 99 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Dorenda Doyle

Dorenda Doyle

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Dorenda is a retired educator of thirty years, having taught business and computers at the high school and college levels, writing curriculum for two State Departments of Education, and serving in administrative roles. (M.Ed., Secondary Education; B.S., Business Management). She was even a Zoo Docent (volunteer educator) for a few years at the Birmingham Zoo (Alabama). Since retirement, her zeal for education has been replaced with a passion for grandkids, animals, and travel. With three rescues of her own, she supports and advocates for animal rescue in her spare time. Her hobby of photography almost always includes pictures of grandkids as well as animals, usually together. Biking and hiking take up the rest of her free time, with week-long bicycling trips being a yearly indulgence. Her bucket list includes visiting all 63 National Parks, and biking a “century” (100 miles in one day; so far, 77 is her best.) She and her husband Jimmy travel as much as possible with the entire extended family of sixteen, including her 91-year-young mom-in-law. It’s these adventures on which she will base her next books, a children’s series, Adventures with Grandma.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
99 global ratings
Forgive now before it's too late.
5 Stars
Forgive now before it's too late.
A very engaging book to read - I just kept on going, turned page after page and at times getting on an emotional roller coaster ride as I read about the family dynamics. The author Dorenda Doyle is an excellent storyteller, writing the book so truthfully and with an open heart. I love seeing her family photos from the good old days. Bless those relatives who kept those priceless photos all these years. I love the long list of lessons learned from her family and took a screenshot of it for this review. Timeless advice indeed. The biggest takeaway is to grant forgiveness now, not later. Forgive now before it's too late.
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Top reviews from the United States

Noelia Vicente
5.0 out of 5 stars Binge-worthy!
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2022
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Absolutely riveting! The author includes such a thoughtful dedication to her family! The setup made me feel as though I went back in time and received a personal testimony of the culture. One of the most CREATIVE ways to name the chapters I have ever seen. Beautifully written and her sense of humor shines through this amazing and tear-jerking memoir of her mother. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship lessons she provided on page 86 and my favorite was, “YOU are responsible for your own happiness. Even if your personality falls into the ‘taker’ category, you can’t expect anyone else to make you happy. That is surely the recipe for unhappiness. “Having read the piece involving self-sabotage, I couldn’t help but feel empathy for both the author and her mother. It takes so much strength to overcome this and forgive hurtful behavior. The memorial service piece was undeniably beautiful and meaningful. A MUST READ!
5 people found this helpful
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Jaimie
5.0 out of 5 stars A heart touching story that teaches the importance of forgiveness, compassion and resilience.
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2022
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Dorenda Doyle's subversive brilliance shines in new and unexpected ways with this masterpiece. The vivid language instantly transported me into the world, navigating through the many ups and downs of growing up in the circumstances that was thrown at her along the way. I admire Mrs. Doyle for her strength, determination and resilience in overcoming those obstacles and her compassion for her mother. Sometimes it takes stepping back and seeing the world through the eyes of another to truly understand the difficulties of life and why things happen they way they do.

This story truly touches the heart in more ways than one. For someone like myself who has always had a strenuous relationship with their mother, this story shows that you've got to take the good with the bad and just roll with it. No family is perfect and you have to forgive others in order to start the healing process for yourself. It took a lot of strength and courage for Mrs. Doyle to write this riveting tale and I thank her for being able to share a glimpse of her world with me. Not only did she give me insight in understanding how to deal with my feelings with my own mother, but she also puts into perspective the many hardships of my grandmother and her sisters and the many obstacles they had to overcome and endure..

Thank you for sharing your story. It is an honor to know you and call you my friend.
2 people found this helpful
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Elizabeth Sanguedolce, author of Fallon the Traveling Cat Series.
5.0 out of 5 stars Resourceful, Masterful, Beautifully Written
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2022
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Dorenda Doyle has achieved an outstanding accomplishment: coming to understand and appreciate her very complex mother. Lucky for us, she has shared in this book all of her own hopes and dreams as well as advice for living a fulfilling life. She attributes her own qualities to the fact that she learned everything as a result of her mother, both what to do and what not to do. She also gives credit to her wonderful grandmother and is willing to share her grandma's yeast rolls recipe. I can't wait to try making them! Families are complicated. Good and bad things happen in life. Dorenda has an amazing ability to convey it all in a fascinating and helpful way. This book is entertaining and enriching. I hope you enjoy its ups and downs as much as I did. You'll never forget this story of one woman's life and the impacts it had on her family and her world. Bravo, Dorenda! Well done!
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this
Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2024
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Dorenda Doyle is wonderful writer. She has other books that are just as amazing. They are in a series called series called Tuxedo Baby.
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Libby Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful reminder to see the good in people before it's too late!
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2022
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We are all dealt different cards in life to start. This is true for our parents who raised us. It's easy to see where they went wrong or to focus on what they should have done differently, but parents love their kids and I think they try to do the best they can in their circumstances. This book is raw, honest, and inspires the reader to see the good in all people--even those that seem pretty unlovable. It is chalked full of great life lessons and served as a great reminder to me to see the good in myself and my family too! I highly recommend this beautifully written book.
4 people found this helpful
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Vladimir Chen
5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had read this book 10 years ago!
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2022
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What a beautifully written memoir, a story of a mother who gave absolutely everything she could her kids. It reminds us how it is possible to fall in love with somebody we don’t like. It is honest, compassionate, raw, funny! Loved it! There is so much compassion in this book. It teaches us how to find forgiveness for the people we truly care for. I wish I had read this book when I had resentment toward my parents 10 years ago. Reading this book made me appreciate my parents and the relationships with them even more. The same approach can be applied not only to parents but to anyone around us. So many valuable lessons Dorenda shares about her mother and her own life that can be applied in relationships with kids, parents and a partner. I appreciated Dorenda’s sense of humour. Being a parent myself, I’ve learned a lot from this wonderfully written book. With my own interpretation, give unconditional love to all kids. “Family is forever. We forgive and forget.” Oh my gosh!
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2022
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In her book, How I Learned to Like My Mother, the author does a wonderful job of bringing the reader into the world of her childhood. Her descriptions of the people and places brought to life the tumultuous events that were not what we think of a typical childhood. What I appreciated the most was how she managed to describe the crazy character that was her mother with compassion and insight, in spite of her history. Most of us are at odds with our parents at some point in our childhood. The author does an excellent job of inviting the reader to reflect and reconsider how we can embrace the earlier challenges and make room for acceptance and healing.
2 people found this helpful
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S.A.
5.0 out of 5 stars Forgive now before it's too late.
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
A very engaging book to read - I just kept on going, turned page after page and at times getting on an emotional roller coaster ride as I read about the family dynamics. The author Dorenda Doyle is an excellent storyteller, writing the book so truthfully and with an open heart. I love seeing her family photos from the good old days. Bless those relatives who kept those priceless photos all these years. I love the long list of lessons learned from her family and took a screenshot of it for this review. Timeless advice indeed. The biggest takeaway is to grant forgiveness now, not later. Forgive now before it's too late.
Customer image
S.A.
5.0 out of 5 stars Forgive now before it's too late.
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2022
A very engaging book to read - I just kept on going, turned page after page and at times getting on an emotional roller coaster ride as I read about the family dynamics. The author Dorenda Doyle is an excellent storyteller, writing the book so truthfully and with an open heart. I love seeing her family photos from the good old days. Bless those relatives who kept those priceless photos all these years. I love the long list of lessons learned from her family and took a screenshot of it for this review. Timeless advice indeed. The biggest takeaway is to grant forgiveness now, not later. Forgive now before it's too late.
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image
Customer imageCustomer image
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Anonymous
5.0 out of 5 stars A touching story about family relationships
Reviewed in Canada on April 29, 2022
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An engaging story of forgiveness between a daughter and a mother. Family relationships can be difficult, especially between parents and children. This book takes a close look at these relationships and shows us that forgiveness is healing.
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Alex D
5.0 out of 5 stars Touching, heartrending and thoroughly engaging
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2022
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A touching and heartrending book. It shows just how complex people are. Reading the stories about the author’s childhood - including the night before her wedding, it’s not surprising that she didn’t like her mother. But her mother wasn’t all bad and the author has done a remarkable job of finding and appreciating the good in her. And in trying to present a balanced view. As the author says, ‘Now, I’m pretty sure abnormal is the “new normal.”’ The author's mother was married nearly as many times as Elizabeth Taylor, and like Taylor, twice to the same man! Her relationships were equally as tempestuous! If not more so! I love this line in the book ‘Do everything in moderation, whether it be drinking or marrying.’ This book highlights the abusive side of the author’s mother as well as the caring person she could be. Ultimately it shows how complex people and relationships can be and the importance of forgiveness and healing.
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StayFocused
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating!
Reviewed in Australia on April 30, 2022
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How I learned to like my Mom is the perfect reminder to appreciate the ones we love and how seeking their ‘why’ can be the gateway to understanding, forgiveness, and even healing. Dorenda Doyle honestly and respectfully tells the story of her Mom’s ordinary yet remarkable life – a story that only fully came to light after her mother’s sudden passing. This is also a story about focusing on the positive and finding the lessons learned so one may move forward with a heart filled with love. I highly recommend this book, especially for anyone who has/had a strained parental relationship.
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Dhruve
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful tribute and a wonderful lesson on forgiveness
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2022
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A very useful book for anyone who has struggled with a painful or traumatic relationship with a loved one. At the same time it’s a beautiful and loving tribute to the author’s mother and a great lesson on forgiveness, positivity and letting go as a path to healing and for living a fulfilled life.
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