Nine Ms and a Mother Like No Other: Our Journey from Messed to Blessed

In the memoir Nine Ms and a Mother Like No Other, Martial Bednar brings warmth, wit, and insight to this entertaining narrative about his family and their trials and triumphs as they survive a messy divorce, cross-country road trips in broken down jitneys, several siblings split into foster homes, and life-threatening medical experiences . . . and in the end, still consider themselves blessed. Told with candor and humor from the "kid brother's" unique perspective, Bednar begins with a colorful description of his mother Peggy-an heiress whose husband walked out after twenty years of marriage and nine children-who became a desperate housewife long before it was in vogue. As he chronicles his jaw-dropping childhood adventures, Bednar also introduces his siblings (the nine Ms) and shares the inspirational story of his brother Merrick, a priest-in-the-making whose profound health crises not only strengthen his own faith, but also the fabric of his entire family. This true story-often hysterical, at times heartbreaking-gives testimony to the inseparable bonds of family, the incredible power of perseverance and prayer, and the life-sustaining gifts of faith, hope, and love.