Mama and Margaret

During the school year I have a little time to relax with a good book. Papers, tests, preps take up comfortable reading time. Fortunately, I encountered Embry in an Internet group and somehow I learned of her sister Margaret. I think I googled her bio! At any rate, being the older sibling of a brother with Down Syndrome (and four years older than Margaret)I felt a connection. Yesterday I began my Christmas vacation and can think of no better way to begin this glorious time of year than by reading Mama & Margaret!What a warm and wonderful story of a family growing through the beautiful gift of a Down Syndrome child. I can't recommend this book enough! Step into this wonderful world and allow yourself to grow as these people have over the past 49 years.

This is a wonderful book about two incredible women. Mama who is a strong and very southern woman and her daughter Margaret who has Downs Syndrome. Written by Margaret's sister Embry, who has been able to convey so clearly the atmospere, language, love and the tribulations that they have shared for over 40 years. You will laugh and cry and grow to know these women by the time you finsh the book. I have the honor of knowing these women. All are well worth getting to know, and this book is a delightful journey into thier lives.

I am not used to reading about people I know personally, but I found this to be fun. When I was in high school I became acquanited with the expression: Be kind, everyone carries a heavy load. That is true in more cases than we are probably aware of. Mama and Margaret is a story of love, affection, of family, and the unknown: what do you do as a Down syndrome parent. What shame is there to having someone in the family with mental retardation. How do you cope with this? Mama and Margaret is written by the younger sister, Embry, now 43 about her big sister who is 2 1/2 years older than Embry is, and about Jake their older brother who is 56. The way that their mother, Augusta, deals with everything is beautiful: Love, caring, tenderness. There is laughter and there are tears in every chapter. This book is very southern, very Georgia, and very Columbus, Georgia. I think you will enjoy this more than once, hopefully over and over. William C. Buck, a friend of the family's since the 1930's, and proud to be so.