Memoir
IF YOU WERE MY DAUGHTER: healing an unmothered heart
A powerful memoir about overcoming a mother's emotional neglect and finding the courage to reclaim the story of your life.
From bestselling children's author Marianne Richmond comes the story behind her numerous beloved books for children: how growing up with misdiagnosed epilepsy and an emotionally unavailable mother caused her to question her sanity and self worth before finding a path to healing.
If You Were My Daughter is a story of learning to hear your own voice, of one daughter's return to wholeness, and ultimately, a story of accepting that, despite all hope and longing, a mother's "best I could" can still fall far too short. Most of all, Marianne Richmond illuminates how the stories we're born into shape the ones we tell about ourselves―and reminds us that we have the powerful permission to develop a new relationship with what is difficult in our lives, to fully choose and embody who we are meant to be.
Media Kit
Select editorial + reader reviews
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![An older man with glasses and a beard holding a book titled 'If You Were My Daughter' in a theater or auditorium setting.]()
“Then suddenly you reminded me of the importance of one person trying to make a difference for just one other person. For the first time I am allowed to really see the full narrative of a patient with epilepsy and the family dynamics.”
Dr. Dennis Spencer, the Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor and Chair emeritus of the Department of Neurosurgery at Yale University School of Medicine
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![Two women smiling indoors. One woman is holding a book titled "Mother Hunger" by Kelly McDaniel.]()
“In her beautiful memoir, Richmond bravely finds her way through a legacy of emotional trauma, pulling us into her courageous, tender heart while bringing us closer to our own…a stunning story.”
Kelly McDaniel, LPC, author of Mother Hunger and Ready to Heal
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![A woman with long, wavy red hair, smiling broadly, wearing a black top and gold jewelry.]()
“Marianne Richmond’s early life was shaped by trauma and obfuscation, but in If You Were My Daughter she explores the covenant of motherhood and―with clarity, compassion and wit―reclaims her own story.”
Jeannette Walls, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle
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![A woman with long blonde hair and light blue eyes smiling at the camera, wearing a black sleeveless top and a black turtleneck underneath, with a neutral background.]()
“If You Were My Daughter is a powerful and inspirational book. The wisdom, insights, and life lessons shared by Marianne Richmond provide guidance on self-love, resilience, and personal growth.”
Dr. Gillian O'Shea Brown, LCSW, Complex Trauma Psychotherapist & Adjunct Professor, New York University
