Her Face in Mirror CL

In this rich collection of short stories, poems, essays and novel excerpts, Moskowitz (A Leak in the Heart) presents varied voices of Jewish mothers and daughters. The 56 contributors-among them Grace Paley, Tillie Olsen, Judith Viorst and Letty Cottin Pogrebin-offer a canvas filled with strong emotions, which are often painful but generally affirming. We read of mothers and daughters dealing with Jewish identity, with generational strains, with a love-hate bond. Most poignant are the daughters, tributes to their dead mothers and their yearnings for a relationship lost, as expressed in Judith Steinbergh's poem ``No Answer'': ``I'm not into the afterlife/ and your burial pursues me/ without mercy,/ MA/ answer me.'' (Oct.)