Bettyville By, George Hodgman

George Hodgman, a magazine and book editor, leaves Manhattan, for his hometown of Paris, Missouri to take care of his aging Mother, Betty. At age 90, soon to be 91, she is a force to be reckoned with. It is a bitter sweet memoir, which brings back nostalgic memories for both mother and son. Betty, is fiercely independent and grapples with losing her driver's license,fighting her 'need' for George and most notably, she has never accepted the fact that her son is gay. George grapples with memories of his father, depression, growing up in a conservative, close knit community, grief and loss.

The book is hysterically funny, as George delicately states the obvious. But, he is astute in paraphrasing,so he does not hurt her feelings. George describes their relationship, "I was her conspirator and she made me laugh or want to reach out sometimes, to protect the part of her that rarely showed, her secret soft spot."

The book is full of "Betty-isms" that George aptly describes, which are laugh out loud funny.
"Betty complains constantly about her feet. New shoes, she claims cause her agony. (She has always taken pride in the fact that she wears a narrow size.) Now she insists on the same size, though her feet have swollen."

George obligingly chauffeurs her around the city to various appointments, most notably, Waikiki Coiffures, where her hair is styled into a "lacquered bubble blown back in a way that suggests shock." She states, she has not had a "successful hair appointment since 1945." As Betty slowly realizes she is not quite the independent woman she use to be; the star of the bridge table and piano.

Its an ever changing world for both George and Betty, as they both contemplate the intersection of old and new. "When people ask Betty if she emails, she stares back and asks., "What kind of question is that?" Everyday it becomes more apparent to me, and to her -a woman who still calls a refrigerator an 'icebox'--that her world is gone and she is standing almost by herself now, the only one who remembers how it was here, wondering half the time, what it is people are talking about."

As we all ponder our aging years, the book calls to attention, the enduring love of a son.
"On Betty's journey, I have learned something I had not known. I am very strong, strong enough to stay, strong enough to go when the time comes. I am staying not to cling on, but because sometimes, at least once, everyone should see someone through. All the way home."