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How to Forget

A Daughter's Memoir

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How to Forget

Written by: Kate Mulgrew
Narrated by: Kate Mulgrew
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In this profoundly honest and examined memoir about returning to Iowa to care for her ailing parents, the star of Orange Is the New Black and bestselling author of Born with Teeth takes us on an unexpected journey of loss, betrayal, and the transcendent nature of a daughter’s love for her parents.

They say you can’t go home again. But when her father is diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer and her mother with atypical Alzheimer’s, New York-based actress Kate Mulgrew returns to her hometown in Iowa to spend time with her parents and care for them in the time they have left.

The months Kate spends with her parents in Dubuque—by turns turbulent, tragic, and joyful—lead her to reflect on each of their lives and how they shaped her own. Those ruminations are transformed when, in the wake of their deaths, Kate uncovers long-kept secrets that challenge her understanding of the unconventional Irish Catholic household in which she was raised.

Breathtaking and powerful, laced with the author’s irreverent wit, How to Forget is a considered portrait of a mother and a father, an emotionally powerful memoir that demonstrates how love fuses children and parents, and an honest examination of family, memory, and indelible loss.

 Dysfunctional Relationships Grief & Loss Parenting & Families Personal Development Relationships Memoir Witty
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mesmerizing in its detail, raw honesty and the face it could be anyone's family. I love listening to Kate's voice and hearing her story in her voice I felt at times as if I was evesdropping and at others as if I was one of the players. It struck me when hearing the tale of her mother how hard her final season of OITNB must have been.

I Didn't Want it to End

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Listening to Kate Mulgrew read this book was a wonderful treat. She’s a beloved actress and a fantastic writer.

I loved this book. Deeply touching

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Excellently written and narrated. I enjoyed her passion. The relationship between Kate and her parents and siblings is touching.

The relationship between Kate and her parents

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I chose this audiobook because it struck deep in my heart, with my own life experiences . My father died earlier this year and my mother is in her final days receiving Palliative Care. It’s also what made this at times difficult to continue , but so worth it. Kate gives a loving and honest tribute to her parents, and lays bare her relationships with her siblings.

Poignant memoir

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