Love, Finally - by Geneen Roth (Hardcover)

About the Book

"For nearly four decades, Geneen Roth has been a trusted and beloved voice, guiding women on how to give up dieting, end compulsive eating, and tune into their intuition. Her books have sold millions of copies and her workshops have months-long waiting lists. But only recently, after surviving a devastating breast cancer diagnosis and realizing that she or her mother might die before repairing the rift between them, Roth decided to face the reality that her relationship to her body and the food she eats are inextricably bound to her relationship with her mother. And, Roth discovered, this is true for almost every woman. For years, Roth has been telling women to listen to the intuitive voice inside themselves. But what if that voice is not theirs at all-what if it is the voice of their mothers? And what if, though it professes love, it's actually harmful? Determined to learn to distinguish between the intuition that is her own and the deeply-internalized prodding, often critical voice of her mother, Roth began working with a ninety year-old spiritual advisor named Coco. Blind, nearly deaf, and preternaturally empathetic, Coco helped Roth to untangle her sense of self from her mother's judgement. For the first time, Roth was able to separate what her mother had led her to believe about herself from her truer inner-knowing. Now, living from that deeper place, the things that once kept her stuck, haunted, compulsive, or uncomfortable are set free. In Mothers, Daughters, and Food, Roth reveals how our mothers influence our beliefs about ourselves. She walks readers through a specific process to help them untangle those thoughts and she provides a roadmap to a healthier emotional and physical place. Written in her signature style-funny, self-aware, spiritually-wise-Mothers, Daughters, and Food is a must-read for anyone seeking to heal their relationships with food, their families, and themselves"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

An illuminating inquiry into the complicated relationship between what we eat, what our mothers taught us, and what we believe about ourselves--from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Women Food and God

We see the world through our wounds, not as it really is. We see what we believe. It's like seeing the entire world drenched in yellow when we're wearing yellow-tinted glasses. Freedom comes when we take the glasses off.

For nearly four decades, Geneen Roth has been a trusted voice guiding women to give up dieting and end compulsive eating. Her books have sold millions of copies, and her workshops have months-long waiting lists. But only recently, when she was diagnosed with cancer, did she begin to understand how deeply entwined her feelings about her body are with her relationship to her mother. And, she realized, this is true for almost every woman: the voice inside our heads, the voice we use to talk to ourselves, the voice that criticizes the size of our thighs or the softness of our stomachs--these are all-too-often the voices of our mothers.

Roth was determined to untangle her sense of self from her mother's judgement. Working with a blind, eighty-six-year-old wisewoman, Roth learned to distinguish between her mother's influence and her own, truer inner knowing. Roth began to see that it was not what her mother said or did that made her unhappy, but what Roth believed about herself because of what her mother said or did. For the first time, Roth understood that peace does not depend on external circumstances--you do not need to wait for someone else to change--it relies only on what you yourself choose to believe.

Written in her signature style--funny, self-deprecating, and soulful--Love, Finally is Roth's story of discovering the deeper awareness that set her free. This transformative, healing book is an essential roadmap for anyone who wants to repair their relationships with food, their families, and themselves. It is a stunning illustration of an essential truth: it takes a lifetime to return to where you've always been.

Review Quotes

"One person's calling in life might be to play the piano, while another follows their heart to raise a family, or serve their country, scale a mountain, make a million. Geneen Roth has always answered to a different kind of calling--to courageously examine her life and to use what she discovers to help others heal, transform, grow. Whether it's about her relationship to food or money, love or loss, friendship or marriage, Roth puts her real life on the page and invites us to meet her there, bringing all our humanness with us. This time, with the beautifully written Love Finally, the subject is mothers and wounds, blame and forgiveness. The book is for anyone who wants to look clearly at--and to dismantle--the mind-made conclusions we have made about who we are, who the 'other' is, and how we experience life in the world."--Elizabeth Lesser, New York Times bestselling author of Cassandra Speaks and cofounder of Omega Institute

"Geneen Roth, like so many of us, carried wounds and trauma from childhood into her life and relationships well into adulthood--even after decades of inner work and spiritual exploration. Then, a chance encounter with a practical, funny, eighty-six-year-old wise woman helped her realize that the healing she had sought for so long was as near as her own heartbeat. With humor, honesty, and grace, Roth invites readers to unwind the painful stories that keep us feeling separate and unlovable, and to discover the freedom and joy of loving without holding back."--Tara Brach, bestselling author of Radical Acceptance

"Love, Finally is the story of Geneen Roth's triumph over the life-long critical voice in her head--the voice women will recognize as the soundtrack playing the same 'you're bad, you're wrong, you're not enough, ' song on repeat. It is also a tribute to the work she did to untangle the relationship between that critical voice, her relationship with her mother, and of course, food. Roth, as ever, remains wise, unguarded, insightful, and generous. This book is both a love letter and a must-read for every woman who's struggled to find peace with her body, her mother, and food."--Christie Tate, New York Times bestselling author of Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life

About the Author

Geneen Roth is the author of ten books, including New York Times bestsellers Women Food and God, When Food Is Love and Lost and Found. Roth's pioneering books were among the first to link compulsive eating and perpetual dieting with deeply personal and spiritual issues that go far beyond food, weight, and body image. Over the past forty years, she has worked with thousands of women in her groundbreaking workshops and retreats based on the concepts of her books. She lives in California with her husband Matt; and Izzy the fabulous, eating-disordered dog.