Gotta love Mae

I never met Mae Shine, who was born in Ireland in 1909 and came to the United States by herself to pursue the American dream when she was just 18. "Life with Mae" reveals that she was spunky, brave, loving, wise and funny. All the characteristics of a great woman. The memoir, our current book club read, is by Mae's oldest son, the late Neal Shine, the publisher of the Detroit Free Press and father to my co-worker Tom Shine.

I don't want to give anything away but will say that I laughed out loud at the antics she displayed and dealt with. And my heart ached when I read about the family's obstacles. I speak from experience when I say that Irish Catholics are some of the best people I've known.

I've promised my mother that I'd loan her my copy, but wanted to first offer it to any fellow book club member who didn't order one and would like to read it before this month's meeting. First come, first served.

In the meantime, here's an excerpt I loved, the closing graph of the prologue:

What follows is our remembrance of Mae Conlon Shine's remarkable and often outrageous life, painted in bold strokes, to help keep her memory fresh in the minds of those who knew and loved her and to give some sense of who she was to those who do not remember her, especially her great-grandchildren. It is also for those who never met her but who had in their lives a wonderful woman like her, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother, women who were always ready to share their abundant love, their vibrant spirit, and their gift of laughter. I hope it will be a reminder of just how substantial our debt is to these remarkable women.