"She's probably the most resilient person I know." -- Emma Walton Hamilton
For the holidays, we're revisiting Katie's conversation with Emma Walton Hamilton, daughter of the extraordinary Julie Andrews, about her mom's difficult childhood and her determination to give her own children stability and, above all, constant love.
Julie Andrews's two memoirs, Home, and Home Work, are at once heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. While reading the books in preparation for the interview, Katie toggled between listening to Julie's narration, and reading. She was struck by how differently she absorbed the material depending on the medium. That is, when she heard Julie's familiar voice, so thoroughly had she absorbed the calming effect of that voice over the years, she found it hard to feel the darkness of the material.
Emma speaks about her mother's innocence, well into adulthood, a true surprise given the effect that parts of her childhood could have had on her.
Emma and her mother have written more than 30 children's books together, and they co-host the podcast Julie's Library.
Art by Paula Mangin
Music by Andrea Perry
Producer: Alice Hudson
Visit us at: Our Mothers Ourselves
Special thanks to Liz Mitchell for permission to use her beautiful rendition of You Are My Sunshine.