Frandi2010

Frandi2010 (talk) 03:16, 29 May 2010 (UTC) Sid Harta Publishers have just released advance copies of my book of non-fiction: 'Whatever Happened to Ishtar? - A Passionate Quest To Find Answers For Generations Of Defeated Mothers'. Copies have been sent out to various reviewers. For more information about the title and content see my blog at frandi.wordpress.com. Author: Anne Frandi-Coory

Missing Mothers in Family Trees

Frandi2010 (talk) 06:14, 29 May 2010 (UTC) One of the saddest things for me that has come out of research for my book 'Whatever Happened To Ishtar?' is the fact that historical birth and marriage certificates only record the names of fathers. It was indicative of an era when only males were considered important in the scheme of life. Although I have built up an extensive family tree of both my Lebanese and Italian ancestors, there are many gaps where a mother's name should be. And each gap represents not just a missing name but whole lineages. As examples: when, after many years of searching, I located a document of an ancestor's birth, the name of the person's mother was omitted; a marriage certificate where both the mother of the bridegroom and the bride were omitted. In some cases I was able to find the information in a baptism confirmation certificate or in immigration archives, but several names are missing. My hope is that descendants of those families I have written about, will read my book and help fill in some of those missing names for us. -Anne Frandi-Coory

Nukes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by AlphaOkami (talk • contribs) 10:39, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Whatever Happened to Ishtar?

Frandi2010 (talk) 07:20, 29 May 2010 (UTC) THE TITLE of my published book ‘Whatever Happened to Ishtar?‘ reflects the theme of the recurring failure of mothers to nurture and protect children over succeeding generations. There were myriad causes but there is no doubt in my mind that the patriarchal age the women lived in played a part as did the emotional, physical and sexual abuse they suffered. The Catholic Church turned its back on many of these women and their children in their hour of greatest need. The effects of the legacy contained in this memoir, this Italian and Lebanese family history, still impact on the current generation today.

ISHTAR, an ancient Mesopotamian matriarch and prime goddess of Babylon, was a revered symbol primarily of fertility and motherhood. The ancient city of Babylon stood on the banks of the river Euphrates in Mesopotamia, today’s Middle East. Ishtar also wielded considerable political and familial power. Like all women, her story is sometimes a tragic one of loss and heartbreak. But compassion, heroics, victory in battle and villainy formed part of that story. Ishtar’s various roles in society were valued and like a mirror her life reflected the lives of many Mesopotamian women. Gradually over time in human history women lost their valued place. Most matriarchal societies were usurped by patriarchal societies, and Christianity was firmly planted in the latter. In some parts of the Levant, ancient statues of Ishtar were ripped from their grottos to be replaced by statues of the Virgin Mary, the protectress of Lebanon. Women became less valued and all the power rested in the hands of men. - Anne Frandi-Coory