No relationship is as intricate, transformative, and, at times, heartbreaking as the one between a mother and a daughter. It’s a bond built on layers of love, expectations, misunderstandings, and a shared history (with each generation adding its own imprint to the tapestry).
And while most mother-daughter relationships are a source of comfort, joy, and undivided love, for about 15% of Americans, they are a minefield of unresolved emotions, which is probably why terms like “no contact” have gained traction among Millennials, Zillennials, and Gen Zs.
But healing these wounds isn’t easy. It takes years of learning and unlearning, recognizing that moms are human, and practicing self-compassion to move toward peace and understanding.
One powerful tool that has helped me and countless other women dealing with complicated mother-daughter relationships is bibliotherapy. Through the stories of others, I’ve found clarity, healing, and a deeper understanding of my relationship with my mom.
So, if you’re navigating your own journey with your mom or hoping to heal your inner child, these eight books about mother-daughter relationships will help you better understand how trauma works and offer the guidance you need to mend your bond and find peace.
Related: How To Move On From Tiny But Heart-Wrenching Criticisms From Your Mom And Aunties
I’m Glad My Mom Died By Jennette McCurdy
This award-winning memoir from former child actor Jennette McCurdy delves into her struggles with eating disorders, addiction, and her complicated relationship with her overbearing mother at the start of her career.
With unflinching detail, McCurdy recounts how her mom shaped her into the perfect star, plus what happened when she finally achieved her mother’s dream by landing the lead role in a Nickelodeon television show.
Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is a powerful story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.
What We Lose By Zinzi Clemmons
Raised in Pennsylvania, Thandi views the world of her mother’s childhood in Johannesburg as both impossibly distant and ever-present. She is an outsider wherever she goes, caught between being Black and White, American or not.
As Thandi grapples with these fragmented pieces of her identity, her world is further upended when her mother succumbs to cancer, leaving her without a source of support, especially in the face of unexpected motherhood.
This book explores love, loss, identity, and the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship.
Mom & Me & Mom By Maya Angelou
Mom & Me & Mom is a deeply personal account of the complicated mother-daughter relationship between Maya Angelou and her mother, Vivian Baxter.
When Angelous was three years old, Vivian sent her and her older brother to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas.
A decade later, Angelou and “Lady,” as she calls her mom, are reunited. Through this reunion, they embark on a journey of reconciliation, learning to find a balance of love, respect, and mutual understanding.
Girl, Woman, Other By Bernardine Evaristo
From Newcastle to Cornwall, spanning the birth of the 20th century to the teens of the 21st, Girl, Woman, Other follows 12 diverse characters on their personal journeys through Britain over the past 100 years.
The story features mostly Black British women, each searching for something: a shared past, an unexpected future, a lost mother, a missing father, a place to belong, a lover, and just a touch of hope…
It’s honestly one of the most riveting books you’ll read when it comes to exploring mother-daughter relationships.
Lucy By Jamaica Kincaid
In this bold and intimate coming-of-age tale, Lucy, a teenage girl from the West Indies, leaves her home and her overbearing mother for a new life as an au pair in North America.
As she navigates the privilege and cracks of her employers’ seemingly perfect world, Lucy wrestles with her own past, her awakening sexuality, and the haunting voice of her mother’s influence.
With razor-sharp clarity and unflinching honesty, Lucy’s journey of independence and self-discovery reveals the inescapable complexities of family ties and the cost of forging her own path. It’s a poignant exploration of identity, freedom, and the mother-daughter relationship that lingers like a bittersweet echo.
Little Fires Everywhere By Celeste Ng
A pandemic-era favorite turned Hulu sensation, Little Fires Everywhere unravels the tangled lives of two families brought together by their children. At its heart are two moms and the vastly different mother-daughter relationships shaped by race, class, and privilege.
With secrets, obsession, and motherhood fueling the story, this riveting book will have you teetering between anger and empathy for characters who feel achingly real – even when they’re at their most villainous.
It’s Momplicated: Hope And Healing For Imperfect Daughters Of Imperfect Mothers By Debbie Alsdorf & Jean Edwards Kay
If you’ve ever felt the strain of a complicated mother-daughter relationship, It’s Momplicated offers a compassionate guide to healing and understanding.
Blending spiritual wisdom with therapeutic insights, this empowering book dives deep into how early connections with your mom shape your self-worth and relationships—and shows you how to break free from harmful cycles.
No lie, this book will remind you that it’s never too late to heal, never too late to love, and never too late to trust God to turn the pain in your story into a redemption song.
Motherless Daughters By Hope Edelman
Losing a mother leaves a mark that time alone cannot erase, and Motherless Daughters dives deep into the lasting impact of this profound loss.
Hope Edelman weaves together her own story with insights from hundreds of women and groundbreaking research in grief and psychology to explore how a mother’s absence shapes identity, relationships, and healing across a lifetime.
Whether you’ve lost your mother too soon or feel the ache of an emotional void, this enduring classic offers understanding, comfort, and hope for navigating the cyclical journey of grief and reclaiming your path to healing.
So, which mother-daughter relationship-centered book has you racing to your Amazon “add to cart” tab?
Let us know in the comments below
