The Milk of Human Kindness
Lesbian Authors Write about Mothers and Daughters ed. Lori Lake
A touching anthology of short stories about lesbians and their relationships as mothers and daughters who deal with sexuality as well as the vagaries of regular life.
The Milk of Human Kindness (Regal Crest, 2004--2005 Lambda Literary Award Finalist - Best Anthology) was the literal dream child of editor Lori Lake, a published author and writing teacher. In the introduction, she says the idea came to her in a dream, in the form of "an insistent, bossy male voice." There are 23 stories in the book, written by women in their twenties to their seventies.
Themes
Some of the stories have lesbian characters, some of them are simply about the situations mothers and daughters find themselves in. Linking them is the complexity of human relations, and the special relationship that exists between mothers and their daughters, whether or not they are biologically related.
Jennifer Fulton's story is a harsh, intense and short look at a daughters fight against an abusive father, and the mother who responds with actions rather than words.
Perhaps the truest theme throughout the book is that of evolution; of women calculating and re-calculating their relationships with one another and themselves through their familial relations. They try to find the words to express their deepest emotions and fears, and when that fails, sometimes they rely on actions to speak for them.
Also present is the idea of self-identity and the difficulty of "coming out" to one's family, not knowing how they will react. Many of the stories and memoirs talk about the time wasted wishing sexuality was different, or avoiding family out of fear.
Katherine V.Forest, author of several books, writes about her own experiences as a young woman who has lost both her biological and adoptive mothers, but gains another in the form of a woman who teaches her that life is about living, not being afraid. Mothering belongs not only to those who have children, but to anyone who fills a surrogate type roll to another, younger person in need. Several of the stories in the book take on the theme of surrogacy.
Mothers, too, deal with their daughter’s lesbianism from a first person point of view, analyzing their own feelings and dread that come with the divulging of a child's sexuality. They are not always kind, or well meaning, or even very likeable. Lake, in her introduction and in reference to the title of the book, says that few women are like Lady Macbeth, who used the line about the milk of human kindness to suggest her husband did not have the guts to kill.
Illness, too, is a theme throughout, as daughters must deal with ageing parents, and parents must deal with daughters who have cancer.
Many of the stories are heart wrenching, many are laugh out loud funny, and many make the reader truly consider the complexity of parental relationships, regardless of the lesbian aspect, even though that, of course, plays a major part in the entire book.
The Editor
Lori L.Lake is the author of ten books as of 11/2007 - six novels, two short story collections, and two anthologies. Her Gun series, following police officers Dez Reilly and Jaylynn Savage and include Gun Shy, Have Gun We'll Travel, and Under the Gun. Ricochet, Different Dress, and Snow Moon Rising are exciting and interesting stand alone novels. Her newest book is Shimmer: And Other Stories, an anthology of stories about the power of love. Her books have won an exceptional amount of awards, among them: 2007 Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award Winner, 2007 Golden Crown Literary Award Winner - Best General/Dramatic Fiction, 2007 Alice B. Readers Award Winner and the 2007 Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Award Winner as well as 2007 Golden Crown Literary Award Finalist - Best Anthology, 2007 Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Award Winner. She teaches writing at The Loft.
Further Resources
Lori L.Lake’s official website
