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Dorenda Doyle

How I Learned to Like My Mom: Forgive Those You Love ... Before It's Too Late Kindle Edition

by Dorenda Doyle (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

(104)

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A feisty Honky-Tonk Gal who drank too much, parented too little, and married 7 men! She was beautiful, talented, wrote country songs, and just happened to be my mother.

Can you love someone but not Like them?

Can you forgive what you can't forget?

Is it ever too late?

Set in the Midwest, this Tears to Cheers Memoir details my journey through a difficult (some would say, traumatic) childhood of alcohol, abuse, divorce, neglect and poverty. But it also details the life of a resilient woman who battled her own demons, the prejudices of the last century, gender discrimination, and plain old bad luck, all while trying to raise 4 kids with little to no resources.

Don’t despair ... healing is possible when forgiveness is present.

Forgive those you love ... Before it's too late.

I offer my story of healing and forgiveness as I discovered that my mom was actually a pretty likable, remarkable, and admirable person ... I just had to get to know her.😉

This memoir is for anyone who had a difficult or traumatic childhood due to an alcoholic, abusive mom or parent. Most especially, this book is for anyone who has someone to forgive what you can't forget. To forgive your mom (or parent), heal yourself, and to find peace is priceless. My book is a clean adult nonfiction or juvenile nonfiction (ages 16 and up) biography for women and men, and is suitable for a teen, young adult, or adult. The subjects of elder abuse, substance abuse, child abuse, parenting, marriage, and health & daily living are all addressed.

Scroll up and click on BUY FOR ME (right side) to get your Kindle eBook or click on Kindle Unlimited to read for free! Get HOW I LEARNED TO LIKE MY MOM today ... filled with photographs dating back to the early 1900's!

And please, follow me as an author to get updates on future books and short-stories.

Print length

250 pages
Language

English
Accessibility

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Publication date

April 23, 2022
Reading age

14 - 18 years
File size

83.1 MB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled

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THE DOG with THE KID!: Still explaining everything! (THE KID and THE DOG)
Dorenda Doyle

Kindle Edition
EUR4.27

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is raw, honest, and inspires the reader to see the good in all people--even those that seem pretty unlovable." -- Libby Wilson, Doctor and Life Coach

From the Author

Thank you for either purchasing or considering a purchase of my book.
I THOUGHT about writing this book for over six years after my mother's death. Once I started, I finished it in less than two months! But, in reality, this memoir took 67 years to write (so it's never too late!) because it encompasses not only my life with my mom, but the years since. Lots of tears as well as a few nightmares were my companions during the two months of writing (thus the reason I knew I had to get it done!) BUT, there were also lots of moments of treasured memories and shared laughter with family as I mined their recollections of events.
Writing this book about my family was not easy ... there are always some that might be offended or bothered. My intention was never to cause any offense or embarrassment. I just wanted to offer as much truth and honesty as possible about my family. To the outside world, we might have been labeled as "dysfunctional," "trailer trash," or even "white trash." In spite of all the dirty details, faults, and mistakes, we ALL loved each other, and still do.
THAT is what I hope to accomplish with this book ... to let others see that EVERY family has its problems. But, as long as we love each other and forgive the hurts, we can "pick ourselves up by the bootstraps," and heal.
I hope you can take the time to leave comments or a review, and I hope and pray this book has added to your life in some small way.
Dorenda Doyle

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09YQN833K
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bootstraps, LLC.
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 23, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 83.1 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8985890808
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 - 18 years
Best Sellers Rank: #2,178,006 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #101 in Teen & Young Adult Biographical Fiction eBooks
- #114 in Teen & Young Adult Psychology eBooks
- #202 in Teen & Young Adult Women Biography eBooks
Customer Reviews:
(104)

About the author

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Dorenda Doyle

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Dorenda is a LITERACY ADVOCATE—trying to improve reading and writing skills one book or school at a time! That’s why she writes an award-winning Children’s Book series using figurative language—THE KID & THE DOG!

Her first best-selling book was a memoir encouraging forgiveness, but her 8 grandkids convinced her that children’s picture books were so much more FUN!

She’s a retired educator of thirty years, having taught business and computers at the high school and college levels, writing curriculum for two State Departments of Education, and serving in administrative roles. (M.Ed., Secondary Education; B.S., Business Management). She was even a Zoo Docent (volunteer educator) for a few years at the Birmingham Zoo (Alabama). Since retirement, her zeal for education has been replaced with a passion for grandkids, animals, and travel. With three rescues of her own, she supports and advocates for animal rescue. She and her husband Jimmy travel as much as possible with the entire extended family of sixteen, including her 93-year-young mom-in-law.

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Customer reviews

104 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this memoir insightful and beautifully written, with one noting it's chalked full of great life lessons. The book is heartwarming and compassionate, with one customer describing it as a deeply personal journey. Customers find it engaging and powerful.

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21 customers mention content, 20 positive, 1 negative

Customers find the book insightful, with one mentioning it is chalked full of great life lessons.

...I admire Mrs. Doyle for her strength, determination and resilience in overcoming those obstacles and her compassion for her mother....Read more

...This book was so well done that life lessons the author learned scattered throughout were not only fun to read, but made complete sense....Read more

...describe the crazy character that was her mother with compassion and insight, in spite of her history....Read more

...With a complicated relationship with my own mom this book hits the spot....Read more

21 customers mention story, 20 positive, 1 negative

Customers find the book's story heartwarming and inspiring, with one customer describing it as a beautifully shared life lesson.

Beautifully written, authentic, touching and inspiring.Read more

Moving story, important lessons...Read more

Heartfelt and Heartwarming!...Read more

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a very real and compelling story that reminded me of some people I have met throughout my life....Read more

13 customers mention writing style, 13 positive, 0 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the memoir, describing it as beautifully written and written from the heart.

...Beautifully written and her sense of humor shines through this amazing and tear-jerking memoir of her mother....Read more

This beautifully written book is a reminder that we are all human and fallible and that it is not until we are older and have experienced life's ups...Read more

This book was written from the heart and to the heart by an amazing person.Read more

...The author Dorenda Doyle is an excellent storyteller, writing the book so truthfully and with an open heart....Read more

12 customers mention engaging, 12 positive, 0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and powerful, with one describing it as absolutely riveting.

"How I Learned to Like My Mom" was a powerful read. I kept reading page after page, my eyes glued to my Kindle....Read more

Good readRead more

Great read that brought back lots of my own childhood memories....Read more

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a very real and compelling story that reminded me of some people I have met throughout my life....Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

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Dee
A Mesmerizing and Remarkably Truthful Story
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase

I must start by saying that I know the author. Dorenda and I became acquainted through a children's picture book writing group. Chatting one day, she casually mentioned "an old book I wrote awhile ago... not very good, really."
Curiosity got me and I looked it up and bought it.

I am here to tell you this book absolutely rocked my little world. It gives you a sense of perspective that most people do not have, it is painful and beautiful at the same time. It is candid and soul crushing, yet spiritual and uplifting as well. Dorenda honors her mother through her honest retelling of a hard life lived and eventually understood.

I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to reach the finale. A beautifully told memoir worthy of your time reading.

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Jaimie
A heart touching story that teaches the importance of forgiveness, compassion and resilience.
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2022
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Dorenda Doyle's subversive brilliance shines in new and unexpected ways with this masterpiece. The vivid language instantly transported me into the world, navigating through the many ups and downs of growing up in the circumstances that was thrown at her along the way. I admire Mrs. Doyle for her strength, determination and resilience in overcoming those obstacles and her compassion for her mother. Sometimes it takes stepping back and seeing the world through the eyes of another to truly understand the difficulties of life and why things happen they way they do.

This story truly touches the heart in more ways than one. For someone like myself who has always had a strenuous relationship with their mother, this story shows that you've got to take the good with the bad and just roll with it. No family is perfect and you have to forgive others in order to start the healing process for yourself. It took a lot of strength and courage for Mrs. Doyle to write this riveting tale and I thank her for being able to share a glimpse of her world with me. Not only did she give me insight in understanding how to deal with my feelings with my own mother, but she also puts into perspective the many hardships of my grandmother and her sisters and the many obstacles they had to overcome and endure..

Thank you for sharing your story. It is an honor to know you and call you my friend.

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2 people found this helpful

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Noelia Vicente
Binge-worthy!
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Absolutely riveting! The author includes such a thoughtful dedication to her family! The setup made me feel as though I went back in time and received a personal testimony of the culture. One of the most CREATIVE ways to name the chapters I have ever seen. Beautifully written and her sense of humor shines through this amazing and tear-jerking memoir of her mother. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship lessons she provided on page 86 and my favorite was, “YOU are responsible for your own happiness. Even if your personality falls into the ‘taker’ category, you can’t expect anyone else to make you happy. That is surely the recipe for unhappiness. “Having read the piece involving self-sabotage, I couldn’t help but feel empathy for both the author and her mother. It takes so much strength to overcome this and forgive hurtful behavior. The memorial service piece was undeniably beautiful and meaningful. A MUST READ!

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5 people found this helpful

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Vladimir Chen
I wish I had read this book 10 years ago!
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
What a beautifully written memoir, a story of a mother who gave absolutely everything she could her kids. It reminds us how it is possible to fall in love with somebody we don’t like. It is honest, compassionate, raw, funny! Loved it! There is so much compassion in this book. It teaches us how to find forgiveness for the people we truly care for. I wish I had read this book when I had resentment toward my parents 10 years ago. Reading this book made me appreciate my parents and the relationships with them even more. The same approach can be applied not only to parents but to anyone around us. So many valuable lessons Dorenda shares about her mother and her own life that can be applied in relationships with kids, parents and a partner. I appreciated Dorenda’s sense of humour. Being a parent myself, I’ve learned a lot from this wonderfully written book. With my own interpretation, give unconditional love to all kids. “Family is forever. We forgive and forget.” Oh my gosh!

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2 people found this helpful

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Elizabeth Sanguedolce, author of Fallon the Traveling Cat Series.
Resourceful, Masterful, Beautifully Written
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Dorenda Doyle has achieved an outstanding accomplishment: coming to understand and appreciate her very complex mother. Lucky for us, she has shared in this book all of her own hopes and dreams as well as advice for living a fulfilling life. She attributes her own qualities to the fact that she learned everything as a result of her mother, both what to do and what not to do. She also gives credit to her wonderful grandmother and is willing to share her grandma's yeast rolls recipe. I can't wait to try making them! Families are complicated. Good and bad things happen in life. Dorenda has an amazing ability to convey it all in a fascinating and helpful way. This book is entertaining and enriching. I hope you enjoy its ups and downs as much as I did. You'll never forget this story of one woman's life and the impacts it had on her family and her world. Bravo, Dorenda! Well done!

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2 people found this helpful

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Bb
Forgive now before it's too late.
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A very engaging book to read - I just kept on going, turned page after page and at times getting on an emotional roller coaster ride as I read about the family dynamics. The author Dorenda Doyle is an excellent storyteller, writing the book so truthfully and with an open heart. I love seeing her family photos from the good old days. Bless those relatives who kept those priceless photos all these years. I love the long list of lessons learned from her family and took a screenshot of it for this review. Timeless advice indeed. The biggest takeaway is to grant forgiveness now, not later. Forgive now before it's too late.

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Bb

Forgive now before it's too late.

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2022
A very engaging book to read - I just kept on going, turned page after page and at times getting on an emotional roller coaster ride as I read about the family dynamics. The author Dorenda Doyle is an excellent storyteller, writing the book so truthfully and with an open heart. I love seeing her family photos from the good old days. Bless those relatives who kept those priceless photos all these years. I love the long list of lessons learned from her family and took a screenshot of it for this review. Timeless advice indeed. The biggest takeaway is to grant forgiveness now, not later. Forgive now before it's too late.

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4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

StayFocused
Captivating!
Reviewed in Australia on April 30, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase

How I learned to like my Mom is the perfect reminder to appreciate the ones we love and how seeking their ‘why’ can be the gateway to understanding, forgiveness, and even healing. Dorenda Doyle honestly and respectfully tells the story of her Mom’s ordinary yet remarkable life – a story that only fully came to light after her mother’s sudden passing. This is also a story about focusing on the positive and finding the lessons learned so one may move forward with a heart filled with love. I highly recommend this book, especially for anyone who has/had a strained parental relationship.

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Alex D
Touching, heartrending and thoroughly engaging
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A touching and heartrending book. It shows just how complex people are. Reading the stories about the author’s childhood - including the night before her wedding, it’s not surprising that she didn’t like her mother. But her mother wasn’t all bad and the author has done a remarkable job of finding and appreciating the good in her. And in trying to present a balanced view. As the author says, ‘Now, I’m pretty sure abnormal is the “new normal.”’ The author's mother was married nearly as many times as Elizabeth Taylor, and like Taylor, twice to the same man! Her relationships were equally as tempestuous! If not more so! I love this line in the book ‘Do everything in moderation, whether it be drinking or marrying.’ This book highlights the abusive side of the author’s mother as well as the caring person she could be. Ultimately it shows how complex people and relationships can be and the importance of forgiveness and healing.

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Anonymous
A touching story about family relationships
Reviewed in Canada on April 29, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
An engaging story of forgiveness between a daughter and a mother. Family relationships can be difficult, especially between parents and children. This book takes a close look at these relationships and shows us that forgiveness is healing.

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Dhruve
A beautiful tribute and a wonderful lesson on forgiveness
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A very useful book for anyone who has struggled with a painful or traumatic relationship with a loved one. At the same time it’s a beautiful and loving tribute to the author’s mother and a great lesson on forgiveness, positivity and letting go as a path to healing and for living a fulfilled life.

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Follow the author

How I Learned to Like My Mom: Forgive Those You Love ... Before It's Too Late Kindle Edition

A feisty Honky-Tonk Gal who drank too much, parented too little, and married 7 men! She was beautiful, talented, wrote country songs, and just happened to be my mother.

Can you love someone but not Like them?Can you forgive what you can't forget?Is it ever too late?

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Dorenda Doyle

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Forgive now before it's too late.

Top reviews from the United States

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Mesmerizing and Remarkably Truthful Story

5.0 out of 5 stars A heart touching story that teaches the importance of forgiveness, compassion and resilience.

5.0 out of 5 stars Binge-worthy!

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had read this book 10 years ago!

5.0 out of 5 stars Resourceful, Masterful, Beautifully Written

5.0 out of 5 stars Forgive now before it's too late.

Forgive now before it's too late.

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Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating!

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching, heartrending and thoroughly engaging

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching story about family relationships

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful tribute and a wonderful lesson on forgiveness

Report an issue

Can you love someone but not Like them?

Can you forgive what you can't forget?

Is it ever too late?

A Mesmerizing and Remarkably Truthful Story

A heart touching story that teaches the importance of forgiveness, compassion and resilience.

Binge-worthy!

I wish I had read this book 10 years ago!

Resourceful, Masterful, Beautifully Written

Forgive now before it's too late.

Captivating!

Touching, heartrending and thoroughly engaging

A touching story about family relationships

A beautiful tribute and a wonderful lesson on forgiveness