A Mother's Tale

In 1984, Phillip Lopate sat down with his mother, Frances, to listen to her life story. A strong, resilient, indomitable woman who lived through the major events of the 20th century, she was orphaned in childhood, ran away and married young, then reinvented herself as a mother, war factory worker, candy store owner, community organizer, clerk, actress and singer. But paired with exciting anecdotes are the criticisms of the husband who couldn’t satisfy her, the details of numerous affairs an...