We Are All Welcome Here

By: Elizabeth Berg

Narrated by: Elizabeth Berg

It is the summer of 1964. In Tupelo, Mississippi, tensions are mounting over civil-rights demonstrations occurring ever more frequently - and violently - across the state. But in Paige Dunn's small, ramshackle house, there are more immediate concerns.

Challenged by the effects of the polio she contracted during her last month of pregnancy, Paige is nonetheless determined to live as normal a life as possible and to raise her daughter, Diana, in the way she sees fit - with the support of her tough-talking black caregiver, Peacie.

Diana is trying in her own fashion to live a normal life. As a 14-year-old, she wants to make money for clothes and magazines, to slough off the authority of her mother and Peacie, to figure out the puzzle that is boys, and to escape the oppressiveness she sees everywhere in her small town.

What she can never escape, however, is the way her life is markedly different from the lives of others. Nor can she escape her ongoing responsibility to assist in caring for her mother. Paige Dunn is attractive, charming, intelligent, and lively, but her needs are great - and relentless.

As the summer unfolds, hate and adversity will visit this modest home. Despite the difficulties thrust upon them, each of the women will find her own path to independence, understanding, and peace. And Diana's mother, so mightily compromised, will end up giving her daughter an extraordinary gift few parents could match.

©2006 Elizabeth Berg (P)2006 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Full of humor, devoid of self-pity, with lively characters that rise above their circumstances, this is the story of an adolescent accepting adult responsibilities, encountering the temptations of boys and booze, and experiencing the tensions between race and class in the 1960s." ( School Library Journal)
"Berg's narration of her own work captures the sweetness and loss portrayed in this story. Without sounding maudlin, she conveys Diana's frustration at being both poor and a teenager." ( AudioFile)

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Would you listen to We Are All Welcome Here again? Why?

I believe that this story will haunt you, in a good way. I find myself thinking about this book at odd moments in my life. I would recommend it for anyone who likes the kind of story that reinforces the ability of the human spirit to overcome.

What did you like best about this story?

I was drawn to it from the beginning when the author told how she did not want to write it...she prefers to come up with her own story ideas. the character whose mother this is based on came to her and asked her to tell the story she listened and.....couldnt NOT write this book

What about Elizabeth Berg’s performance did you like?

EVERYTHING. Like the movie To Kill a Mockingbird, it just stayed with me......and I felt like i could not stop listening.

Who was the most memorable character of We Are All Welcome Here and why?

The mother who made the best of a situation that most people could not imagine.

Any additional comments?

If you like Elizabeth Berg,or if you've never read her books, you will not be disappointed

sweet story!

I enjoyed the story but found Ms. Berg's narration so softspoken that I struggled to hear it at times. Her books always teach us something and give pause for reflection on various topics which I appreciate.

Was it true?

It was a mother to be admired , in her strength to be positive and yet willing to live in the truth of it all that she faced.
Also an eye opener to us that don't always understand the challinges of relieing on others to live a normal day to day life. And nice to see them played out on both sides of they both are in need of hearing.

This really was a great book , I just wish the would have explained how much was really true.
Also a great message of strength and courage, and belief and faith, that everything is gonna be alright!

Incredible tale, and it's real

I love Elizabeth Berg, and I'm reading books set in this era as research for a novel- so when I found this, I was tickled- but had no idea what wait for me. What an incredible tale, and to know that the bones of the story are real, that just makes it all the more fascinating.

I was hooked from the start and found myself tidying up around the house more just so I could listen longer. It's well worth the listen. And Elizabeth Berg has a great reading voice, too.

good story

I liked the story but did not enjoy the slow narration. The author should have let someone else narrate.

Frustrating

the story had some explicit content in it and I did not like the way the mom diciplined her daughter because of her situation but the struggles were real and it did have a happy ending but it was no life for a child. VERY FRUSTRATING to listen too.