They were supposed to stay home cooking and cleaning while wearing pearls. They got it half right; they did wear pearls…
Molly: All alone she protected her land and children from treasure seekers, holding them off only with her courage and a shotgun.
Mary: She came with her husband as he drove the first train into Miami in 1896 when the Magic City was nothing more than a collection of wooden shacks and mud streets.
Helen: A flapper, she knew what she wanted and went out and found it.

The Pianist’s Only Daughter is a frank, humorous, and poignant exploration of aging in an aging expert's own family. Gerontologist Kathryn Betts Adams was the only daughter of colorful and talented parents: her mother an English scholar/poet, and her father a concert pianist/music professor. Their dramatic emotional lives, marital instability, and eventual break-up provided backdrop for her youth. Nearly thirty years after they divorced, her parents reconcile and decide to live together again. As her mother’s Parkinson’s disease progresses, Kathryn steps in to manage her care.

This book honors Patsy Swayze who was the mother and mentor of her beloved son Patrick. Patsy was an icon in the dance and performing arts world for decades as a dancer, teacher, mentor, and choreographer. Her work includes founding the Houston Jazz Ballet, teaching at the university of Houston, and choreographing for Hollywood movies and Houston's main theatre companies. She inspired thousands of dance students, many of whom went on to become professionals in the performing arts. With that said, she was most proud of being the mother of five children.

In June 1970, my life was working as I’d hoped. At twenty-six, when my son Jim was born with a severe cleft lip and palate, my world turned upside down. Doctors took charge of my son’s medical needs. I felt side-lined, pressured to cope silently and without support. I recoiled when I saw my ten-day-old infant’s battered face after the first surgery. Feedings were traumatic, and I feared Jim would fail to thrive. Emotions I’d never felt before – disappointment, guilt, helplessness, self-loathing, resentment -- overwhelmed me. I shrank from the inevitable stares and insensitive comments.