Oh My Mother!

A Memoir in Nine Adventures

De: Connie Wang

Narrado por: Connie Wang

“Humorous, endearing, and intimate.” —TIME

“Mother and daughter relationships are always tricky but this peripatetic pair has outdone all of us with this most excellent adventure written by my namesake, author Connie Wang.” —Connie Chung

A dazzling mother-daughter adventure around the world in pursuit of self-discovery, a family reckoning, and Asian American defiance

In Chinese, the closest expression to oh my god is wo de ma ya. It’s an interjection, a polite expletive, something to say when you’re out of words. Translated literally, it means oh my mother—the instinctual first person you think of when you’re on the cusp of losing it, or putting it all together.

In each essay of this hilarious, heartfelt, and pitch-perfectly honest memoir, journalist Connie Wang explores her complicated relationship to her stubborn and charismatic mother, Qing Li, through the “oh my god” moments in their travels together. From attending a Magic Mike strip show in Vegas to experimenting with edibles in Amsterdam to flip-flopping through Versailles, this iconic mother-daughter duo venture into the world to find their place in it, and sometimes rail against it—as well as against each other.

There are hijinks, capers, and adventures. There is also tenderness, growth, and discovery. In telling these stories about the places they’ve gone and the things they’ve done, Wang reveals another story: the true story of two women who finally learned that once we are comfortable with the feeling of not belonging—once we can reject the need to belong to any place, community, census, designation, or nation—we can experience something almost like freedom.

Relatable, funny and told with kindness

I found myself laughing out loud to an extent that is rare for me.

The memoirs are so relatable and told with kindness. I really enjoyed the entire listen.

A poignant, honest story of mothers and daughters

A beautiful collection of stories about the bittersweet relationship between mothers and daughters trying to find themselves while supporting each other. Especially appreciate knowing Connie’s mom was intimately involved in the book’s evolution. What a powerful duo and at times adversaries. A gift for all in the complexities of family dynamics.

Hilarious mother-daughter tale

Beautifully told and laugh out loud funny, I devoured this series of short stories by Connie Wang. Although not the focus, Ms. Wang’s experience of becoming a new mom was deeply relatable particularly for those of us negotiating new babies during COVID.

Heartfelt and beautifully written stories

Wow, what a beautiful memoir! I loved everything about it. The author, Connie’s background as an investigative journalist brought such richness to the narrative, breaking down things that most of us have experienced into descriptions that make it come to life again, like childbirth, and, those first days of being a mother, to arguments and reconciliation with our mothers. So good!

As moving as you'd hope, funnier than you'd think

When you normally think about immigration stories "hilarious" is not the first word that comes to mind. This one is! It's also emotionally honest, deeply moving, and emotively read by the author. (I sometimes feel mixed when an author reads her own work, but Ms. Wang's history as a journalist has clearly helped in this department.) Highly recommended for anyone interested in mother-daughter stories, entertaining cultural commentary, or travel and adventure.