We Are All Welcome Here
Written by Elizabeth Berg
Narrated by Elizabeth Berg
3/5
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About this audiobook
It is the summer of 1964. In Tupelo, Mississippi, the town of Elvis's birth, tensions are mounting over civil-rights demonstrations occurring ever more frequently--and violently--across the state. But in Paige Dunn's small, ramshackle house, there are more immediate concerns. Challenged by the effects of the polio she contracted during her last month of pregnancy, Paige is nonetheless determined to live as normal a life as possible and to raise her daughter, Diana, in the way she sees fit--with the support of her tough-talking black caregiver, Peacie.
Diana is trying in her own fashion to live a normal life. As a fourteen-year-old, she wants to make money for clothes and magazines, to slough off the authority of her mother and Peacie, to figure out the puzzle that is boys, and to escape the oppressiveness she sees everywhere in her small town. What she can never escape, however, is the way her life is markedly different from others'. Nor can she escape her ongoing responsibility to assist in caring for her mother. Paige Dunn is attractive, charming, intelligent, and lively, but her needs are great--and relentless.
As the summer unfolds, hate and adversity will visit this modest home. Despite the difficulties thrust upon them, each of the women will find her own path to independence, understanding, and peace. And Diana's mother, so mightily compromised, will end up giving her daughter an extraordinary gift few parents could match.
Reviews for We Are All Welcome Here
321 ratings24 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Poignant, insightful, and heartwarming is the way in which I describe the author's books. When a friend recommended I read Elizabeth Berg's books, I decided to do so, especially since our reading likes are so similar. I am left wondering why I didn't read any of these wonderful stories before.Written from the perspective of 14 year old Diana Dunn, she experiences normal teen-age angst and growing pains. Still, this particular teen is not an ordinary girl who is living a "normal" life. Diana was the first baby born in the 1950's to a woman who delivered her while in an iron lung suffering from polio.When her father told her mother that he would find an adoptive home for Diana, in quite frank terms, her mother told him that was not an option. Paralzyed, unable to walk, her mother has a sharp brain, quick wit, and a loving spirit. Continuing to live on a respirator, most everyday functions are handled by Diana and a few others.Living in poverty in the south, the host of characters is marvelously likable. While resenting the burden of assisting in the care of her mother, and feeling hedged in by the incredibly delightful black care giver, Peachy, Diana looks back in thankfulness for the guidance and love these two incredible women showed her.Part of Diana's education occurs during the Civil Rights era. Opening her eyes to no longer accepting the everyday differences and slights that occurred in the south in the treatment of blacks, Diana witnesses how different her mother is than other whites in the south at this historical time. Diana very much admires Peachy's boyfriend LaRue who, with the aid of relative, Little Bit, learned to write and read. Inspired to help gain voter rights, LaRue assists Little Bit in the summer of the freedom buses and the beatings sustained by LaRue, Little Bit and many other blacks fighting for what is rightfully theirs.Highly recommended. Four Stars
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5my least fave of berg's books but still worth reading.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A quick, fun read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautiful story of strength, resilience and love between mother and daughter.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The characters, Paige the polio stricken quadriplegic mother, Diana her early teenage daughter and somewhat willing hands, and Peacie the absolute miracle of a caretaker are the heart and strength of this book. The overwhelming horror of the polio is used as a bit of hand wave over the less likely good luck portions of the story, but it remains a real look at fairness and freedom seen from the backside.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I loved this book. It's a fascinating story about a woman who was struck with the polio virus while pregnant with her daughter, and gave birth in an iron lung. The daughter ends up having to help take care of her mother, since she is a quadriplegic. They live in the 50's, about the time that blacks were fighting for their rights, and they had a black caretaker who'd been with the family since the daughter's birth.. they go through a lot of trouble that happens in their lives. I wish the story had not ended, as it was a fresh, clean, touching story, with plenty of heart, and real, true feelings. This woman is my favorite author, as well !!