Windham mother and daughter-in-law collaborate to write family relationship book

By Ed Pierce

Through the years, jokes have perpetuated the stereotype that mothers-in-law can be overbearing and cause marriage friction, but two Windham women are disproving that notion and have written a new book for navigating this complex family relationship.

Wendy Satin Rapaport, left, and her 
daughter-in-law Teri Rapaport, both of
Windham, have co-authored a new book
called 'Advice From My Mother-In-Law
That I Actually WANT,' which contains
real-life stories, psychological insight,
and laugh-out-loud humor. The book
is available on Amazon, at Sherman's
Maine Coast Book Shop in Windham
and at On the Docks Gift Shop in
Windham, COURTESY PHOTO

Teri Rapaport and her mother-in-law Wendy Satin Rapaport came up with the idea for the book “Advice From My Mother-In-Law That I Actually WANT,” which is filled with real-life stories, psychological insight, and laugh-out-loud humor. Part conversation, part therapy, and all heart, the book tackles common challenges of family dynamics, including setting boundaries with empathy, communicating without judgment or resentment, bridging generational differences, creating connection through shared experiences, and healing old wounds and preventing new ones.

Dr. Wendy Satin Rapaport is a clinical psychologist, and Teri Rapaport works in the dental field in Portland.

They collaborated on the book to show that even with the challenges facing mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships and with associated inherent obstacles that connection, laughter, forgiveness, and empathy is possible in such relationships.

“We have had a happy relationship for 30 years,” said Wendy Satin Rapaport. “I have always enjoyed Teri and every time we had a conversation where she changed my mind, and I changed hers. We kept saying, oh we should write this up to inspire others.”

Teri Rapaport says her objective in writing the book was to show that having a great relationship with an in-law is possible.

“Not outlaw in-laws,” she said. “We honor each other’s differences.”

They said that they have worked on their relationship so that their family can benefit and grow with love and support.

“We joke that it is Pest Control. We are persistent and empathy, self-control, and tolerance are our themes that we want to share,” said Wendy Satin Rapaport. “It came to us naturally, but we do appreciate how hard it can be.”

Having taught at the University of Maine graduate school and performed social work for 30 years, Wendy Satin Rapaport and her husband have rented a home for the last five years at Little Sebago Lake in Windham. Teri and her husband Bruce have lived in Windham for 15 years on the opposite side of Little Sebago Lake and visit Wendy and her husband by boat.

It took them a complete year – summer to summer – to write the book while relaxing on the water of Little Sebago Lake on a pontoon boat, not to mention early mornings and late nights that they worked on copy corrections and wondered how the book would be perceived by readers.

“We know it’s not perfect, but it’s perfect enough for us,” they said. “Once we mastered the computer challenges of writing, we actually enjoyed ourselves and it was wonderful to label what we did naturally and then learn new methods for the things that we saw were bigger differences than we had realized. We became closer, laughed our way through the whole process because that is one of the key skills that we both naturally have and that we do believe can be learned by everybody.”

“Advice From My Mother-In-Law That I Actually WANT” is now available at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop in Windham and at Sherman’s location across the state. On the Docks Gift Shop in Windham is also selling copies of the book with special bracelets featuring locked pinky fingers as a bracelet charm. The book’s cover shows Teri and Wendy Satin Rapaport connecting with pinky fingers while out boating on Little Sebago Lake. It’s also available on Amazon.

“The connecting pinkies shows us as connecting together as mother- and daughter-in-law, but also as friends and women,” Wendy Satin Rapaport said. <

Book-signing event a success for newspaper columnist

By Ed Pierce

Columnist Andy Young of The Windham Eagle had little idea what to expect when he agreed to appear at a book-signing event at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop in Windham last weekend, but says he was pleasantly surprised to meet readers there while promoting his new book “Work(s) in Progress.”

Andy Young, a columnist for The Windham Eagle newspaper,
autographs a copy of his new book 'Work(s) in Progress'
for Windham High School student Lillian O'Brion during a
meet the author and book-signing event at Sherman's Maine
Coast Book Shop on Sept. 17. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE 

Young, a Kennebunk High School English teacher and a columnist for The Windham Eagle newspaper, penned the collection of essays contained in “Works(s) in Progress” over the span of 17 years and derived them from columns that he’s written for newspapers in Maine. His first book was called “Young Ideas” and came out in 2014.

He wanted to have his new book, issued by Jackanapes Publishing of Cumberland, available sooner, but circumstances and the global pandemic postponed its publication until this year.

“I wanted to have it for Christmas two years ago,” Young said. “Fortunately, someone put me in touch with a woman in Portland, Lori Harley, who puts together books and she was very helpful with all the layout stuff and even helped proofread it.”

Young’s column focusing on humorous observances about life has appeared in The Windham Eagle since May 2020 and he formerly wrote for the now-closed Maine newspapers Falmouth Community Leader, Yarmouth Notes and Biddeford Journal-Tribune.

According to Young, his favorite subject to write about is something all readers can relate to.

“I like to write about life and what life does,” he said.

His least favorite thing to write about, Young says, are “things everyone else writes about.”

He said for him, the best time to write his selected observations about life is before 7 a.m.

“Let me specifically say I do my best work between 4 and 8 a.m.,” Young said.

Among his personal favorite authors, Young says he enjoys the writing of novelist and newspaper columnist Carl Hiaasen and esteemed author and Pulitzer Prize winner David Halberstam.

“When it comes to non-fiction there is nobody better than Halberstam,” he said. “I could read his work all day.”

His appearance at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop was a success for several reasons, Young said.

“I sold some books and two of which were to people I hadn't previously known,” he said. “All copies were suitably inscribed, so everyone got 6.3 percent off the cover price.”

He said the exposure at Sherman’s was fantastic, he enjoyed meeting people there that day and for readers who couldn’t make it there, Sherman’s has a supply of “Works(s) in Progress” available for purchase.

Plans for yet another book are already in development, Young says.

“Yes, I’ve got one more and I’m already picturing what the cover will look like,” he said.

And for readers who seemingly can’t wait for the publication of his next book, Young said he hopes to continue to write his column for The Windham Eagle newspaper for as long as he can.

“I’m truly grateful to The Windham Eagle for including my column in the paper and I’m thankful so many readers like it,” he said. <