Daughter of the Queen of Sheba: A Memoir

by Jacki Lyden

Book Overview

As an adult, National Public Radio foreign correspondent Jacki Lyden has spent her life on the front lines of some of the world's most dangerous war zones. As a child, she lived in a war zone of a different kind. Her mother, Dolores, suffered from what is now called manic depression; but when Jacki was growing up in a small Midwestern town, Dolores was simply called crazy. In her manic phases, Dolores became Marie Antoinette or the Queen of Sheba,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014027684X
• ISBN13: 9780140276848
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Another Beautiful Mind

I am saddened to find so many unfavorable reviews of this memoir. Reading it, I was reminded of "Angela's Ashes," "A Beautiful Mind" and "Growing Up." I found Lyden's prose both poetic and evocative. I thought she portrayed her own family and herself with remarkable journalistic perspective, but also with compassion. I am amazed at the extent of Lyden's success in her attempt to describe her mother's mania, as well as the author's candor about her own life. There's no self-indulgence in these pages, only a long and difficult distance bravely traveled and recounted for us, so we can see the terrain through her eyes. To the critical reviewers, I say, "Let us read your life," and to Ms. Lyden an unequivocal, "Bravo."

Been There Done That

I have lived this book. My mother is bipolar and living with her was an unbelievably difficult and sad experience. Jacki Lyden so beautifully chronicles the ups and downs of living with a mother who one day seems normal, and then can change to someone so unpredictable that as a child you lose all sense of yourself. Recovering from a childhood with a bipolar mother is not to be taken lightly, and Jacki Lyden gave me the inspiration to move forward and leave the demons of my past behind. An excellent book on living with someone you live who is mentally ill.

A Look into the Upsy-Daisy Life of a Bipolar's Daughter

Jacki Lyden's poignant memoir describes the turmoil in her life as the daughter of a bipolar mother. Some of the things that her mother does are quite humorous; but apathy makes you mortified - when you think of your own mother and how you would be torn between loving her and deserting her. I just finished this book and it was one of the best dealing with mental orders that I have ever experienced.

Incredibly imagery

This was a beautifully written and obviously hearfelt book. The way Lydon views and describes the world is rich and fascinating. Makes me wish I could view my own life through her eyes to see it better. Also, her apparent love for all parts of who her mother is, even the 'less sane' aspects of her personality, really shines through.

Take a chance on Queen of Sheba!

I recommend this book to everyone, and everyone loves it! I actually stopped reading it for a couple of weeks when I had two pages to finish because I didn't want it to end. Even if you aren't interested in the story (which I can't imagine), her prose alone is worth the price of the book. I hope she writes another book SOON!