Disregard First Book

By Terry Martin Hekker

At the height of the feminist movement Terry Martin Hekker's book, EVER SINCE ADAM AND EVE, served as a counterpoint as she trumpeted the joys of motherhood and homemaking. Critics hailed it as often... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1440131244
• ISBN13: 9781440131240
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 140 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

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For every woman who has felt the pain and confusion of an unexpected divorce this is a must read. Terry Hekker puts it all in perspective with humor and insight. She draws from the rich experience of growing up in a large Irish family who never met a situation that could not be soothed by a bit of laughter. The book is one person's journey through troubled waters and sailing into a brighter day. JanetJD

Witty, intelligent, and profound

It takes a great lady to admit she was wrong. Terry Hekker's new book, "Disregard First Book," is a masterpiece of wit and wisdom. Her first book written in the 1970's, the best seller "Ever Since Adam and Eve," was far from all wrong. It celebrated the joys and fulfillment of being a full time wife and mother at a time when many married women started also becoming doctors, lawyers, etc. She did not object to that lifestyle but made a compelling case that there is no higher calling for a women than wife and mother. Terry was married back in the 1950's - a time, to use her words, "before selfishness became socially acceptable." Like most girls at that time (particularly those in a big Irish Catholic family like hers), she assumed divorce was an extremely remote possibility. When her husband dumped her in her 60s, her life became a nightmare - particularly a financial one since she did not have the foundation for a well paying job. For a 44 year old divorced mother like me with two teenage boys and a host of challenges, Terry's story is a great inspiration. Out of the ashes of her divorce, she rose to a new high level of fulfillment. And like that other Irish writer, Frank McCourt, she tells her story with priceless, laugh-out-loud redeeming humor. She is a great role model for women like me.

A must read for anyone!

Just finished my copy of Disregard First Book and can't gush about it enough. First, the writing is just sterling. Every word is like a pearl and the thoughts so cohesively and cleverly constructed. Second, Terry strikes the perfect balance of wise, candid, hopeful and humorous, and third, it defied genre. It was all at once a memoir, a treatise, a tribute, a self-help and by the last page, even a recipe book! It made me laugh aloud, and weep and berate myself for my own self-pity for various misfortunes. It definitely made me a better person. This is an important book, I loved it! Daria S.

Funny, Serious & Astonishing

Disregard First Book is a marvel of honesty, humor, pathos and a positive outlook from a woman who went from a "life is beautiful" marriage to finding herself tossed aside like an old dishrag. Her ups and downs...the loneliness, the financial stress and adjustment to being a single woman at 60 years of age are heartfelt and poignant but through it all she is surrounded by an astonishing support system of 5 children and brothers and sisters all part of a large Irish clan. So there is always a bit of humor at the end of the rainbow. And the intelligence of this woman comes shining through the entire book. If she'd been younger, she might have ended up being Secretary of State! She certainly has the brains and fortitude to deal with a Major Crises. And this was a major survival situation. She is to be congratulated....upon who she is and for her excellent writing. Congratulations, MZ. HEKKER.

Don't Disregard This Book

A friend of mine sent me a copy of Ms.Hekker's book. The title was weird enough to provoke me to read it. What a surprise! Here is presented the plight of an older woman, mother of five, grandmother of more, who is dumped by her husband of 40 years. That didn't surprise me. I'm a widower of a certain age who experienced the ups and downs of 44 years of married life. In that time I knew of several women in the author's plight. My take on her story was that her husband ran for a local judgeship and Ms. Hekker ran for mayor, both in the Village of Nyack. She won, he lost. Apparently his "dangling particles" were wounded by the outcome and he assuaged them by leaving wife and family to pursue other women and booze. The eye opener is the narrative of the fall and rise of this intelligent woman in her struggle that follows. It's a story told with laugh out loud humor and extraordinary sensitivity. The tale is more than a personal account. It is a treatise on our times that has the sting of an action novel and the wisdom of a philosopher. Her research is extensive, her anecdotes memorable and she introduces a cast of Irish aunts and other relatives that would fill an O'Faolain anthology.Add to this a string of blue tinged metaphors and the sum is a great read. If the first book has the style and wit of this work, then neither book should be disregarded.