Erin's Book #38: We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg

The backstory to this book, which Berg explains in the introduction, is almost as fascinating as the book itself - a fan wrote Berg, begging her to write a story about her mother. Berg told her that she was a fiction writer, so if she wanted a true story, she should go elsewhere. The woman replied that she wanted Berg to do it, however she wanted. She also included a picture of her mom, which convinced Berg to write it.

As she specified, this is not a true story. But it is inspired by a real woman.

Thirteen-year-old Diana's mother contracted polio while pregnant with her. She gave birth in an iron lung, where she remained for three years. Since then, she has been completely paralyzed. Diana shares caregiving responsibilities with two other women, most notably Peacie, their tough but kind-hearted day worker.

This is a beautiful story of a young girl, coming of age, and her incredible mother. Paige is a tremendous character; Diana says that people often forget that she's paralyzed and that comes across on the page. They are very poor, forced to rely on the money they're given for a night caregiver to instead by groceries, but they have all have a strong bond.

I really really enjoyed this book and have already bought one more by Elizabeth Berg.