Unplanned Parenthood:: The Confessions of a Seventy-Something Surrogate Mother

Just when you think Liz Carpenter's eventful life (as war-time journalist, Lady Bird Johnson's press secretary, best-selling author)must surely settle into some smooth sailing, she inherits her brother's three noisy, undisciplined teenagers. Unplanned parenthood, indeed! At 73, Liz is a mom again, opening her home and her heart, helping these kids chart the course to a new life--across a generation gap she says is "wider than the Grand Canyon." Facing drugs, sex, fast cars, punk rock, junk food, and the Bay of Pigs (her house), she manages to keep her cool, holding social discussions at the dinner table, confronting Puff the Magic Dragon (marijuana) head-on and no-holds barred, and managing to have a significant talk about the meaning of life with a 14-year-old on an exercise bike. The job this surrogate mom took on isn't for everybody. Only someone as stout-hearted, quick-witted, nimble-footed, and smart-talking as Liz Carpenter could have done it. Thank heavens she did--and lived to tell the tale. It's nothing short of inspiring. by Susan Wittig Albert for www.storycirclebookreviews.org reviewing books by, for, and about women