My first thought when I started reading Imperfect Endings was that this was going to be a depressing story about a selfish woman who contemplated ending her life and her loving daughter who was dragged into her mother's complicated life. How wrong I was! It was truly about the struggle of a daughter and the suffering of a mother with her share of setbacks. The tension slowly faded as Carter doled out generous intervals of humor between and at serious points in the memoir. I began to unearth and piece together the messages scattered throughout the book. Some events jumped out at me immediately while others took a little longer to connect with me, but I eventually got the gist. Carter addressed relevant issues we face daily, the individuality of humans and learning to accept what we cannot change. Many people seek approval from others even when those people hurt them. There is no point in denying that we would sometimes go the extra mile if we knew it meant being accepted into society. It seems our generations have been so busy trying to impress others that we have forgotten who comes first: us. The relationships we have with others can determine what we want and what we don't want for others to see us like that, perhaps for fear of being judged. In Imperfect Endings, Carter talks about her past as a "good girl" and her mother's desire for her to be thin. However, the role of the good girl did not bring as much pride as one might assume; this was the source of conflict between her sisters as she did not want to have to choose between the two of them. Zoe grew up and her mother began to complain about her weight. On a flight home after visiting her mother, she...... in the middle of a paper...... that your mother wanted to drag her into the mess. She mentioned that she thought assisted suicide should be legal, but that the real reason she didn't want her mother to do it was because she felt she still needed her parents. However, Zoe eventually returned and left a voicemail on her mother's home phone: "...I wanted you to know that I think you should feel free to do what you need to do and I feel ready to do so." do, well. ...let go. And you should know it. (Carter, 173). Imperfect Endings wasn’t just a memoir; it was like a book of life lessons. This shed light on a situation I was somewhat aware of in an entertaining way. I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy memoirs, non-fiction, or books with dynamic characters. I realized that there is more to some books than what meets the eye. Imperfect endings are a great example of this.