About My Mother

About My Mother documents the final years of Lalla Fatma, the author's aging parent who suffers from Alzheimer's disease in Tangier, Morocco. Ben Jelloun records his mother's gradual mental decline while capturing fragments of her memories and their shared family history. The narrative moves between past and present as Ben Jelloun assumes the dual role of son and chronicler. Through their conversations and interactions, portraits emerge of Moroccan family life, cultural traditions, and the complex bonds between mothers and children. Personal observation mixes with broader reflections on memory, identity, and the impact of illness on family relationships. The work stands as both an intimate family memoir and a meditation on how we understand and care for parents as they face the end of life.

Readers appreciate Ben Jelloun's intimate portrayal of his mother's decline from Alzheimer's disease and the cultural insights into Moroccan family life. Many note the book's honest depiction of caregiver challenges and the emotional toll of watching a parent fade away. Readers highlight the poetic language and use of both first and third-person perspectives to capture his mother's fragmenting consciousness. Several reviews mention the effective way Ben Jelloun weaves together past and present. Some readers found the narrative structure disorienting and had difficulty following the timeline jumps. A few noted repetitive passages and wanted more depth about the mother's early life. Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (84 ratings) LibraryThing: 3.9/5 (42 ratings) "Beautiful but heartbreaking" appears frequently in reviews. One reader called it "the most honest account of caregiving burnout" they had encountered. Another noted it "captures the universal experience of losing a parent while maintaining its distinct Moroccan identity."

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🔸 The author wrote this memoir after his mother passed away from Alzheimer's disease, documenting both her vibrant life in Morocco and her slow decline into illness. He completed it in just forty days as a way to process his grief. 🔸 Though written in French, the book incorporates many Arabic phrases and cultural references, reflecting the author's bilingual upbringing in French-controlled Morocco and his mother's traditional Moroccan lifestyle. 🔸 Lalla Fatma, the author's mother, was married at age 15 and could neither read nor write, yet she masterfully managed the family's finances and became a respected figure in her community. 🔸 Ben Jelloun is the most translated contemporary Francophone author, and this deeply personal work has been translated into over 15 languages since its publication in 2008. 🔸 The book's original French title "Sur ma mère" plays on the common French expression "sur ma tête" (on my head), which is used as a solemn oath - giving deeper meaning to the author's promise to tell his mother's story.