As I read the book, 'Love, Ellen,' which was written by Ellen Degeneres' mother, Betty, the words stirred memories deep inside of me. I first laughed. I then cried. I was unquestionably moved.

Like Betty, my mother was brought up in the same generation and in a family with conservative values. Issue were not addressed. The 'G' and 'L' words were unspoken and closeted. It was the 'don't ask, don't tell policy,' where your secrets and feelings were stored in your inner vault.

Throughout 'Love, Ellen,' Betty leads the reader on a journey from a mother's perspective seemingly through the stages of grief, ranging from denial: 'Even as I tried to understand, I was in a state of denial. 'But Ellen, boys have always liked you, and you're so popular. You just need to meet the right one.''

...to anger: ''..Are you sure?' The question hung in the air. It sounded judgmental. I softened it, saying, 'I mean, couldn't this just be a phase?''

...to bargaining: 'I understand that my disappointment was not for Ellen. It was for me. I was the one whose marriages hadn't worked out according to expectations. Why on earth should she have to fulfill my dreams? Why not love her and support her as she fulfilled her own?'

...to depression: '...Ellen never had an engagement picture in my hometown paper...I had always fantasized about seeing Ellen's picture there and about her marrying some fine man about myself as being the proud mother of the bride...I felt as if a dream had been shattered.'

...through the acceptance stage: 'Like most parents, I went through a process. It took me time to think about this, to sort out what was important, to get past my terrible ignorance and learn about homosexuality. Though somewhat familiar with the myths and fallacies that are all two common, I need to learn the facts. Two of the most important facts I would learn were, first of all, that as a rule people don't choose to be homosexual; and second, that being gay is normal and healthy. But embracing these truths would take time.'

I enjoyed 'Love, Ellen so much that I gave my mother a copy for Mother's Day with the inscription: 'I don't want you to blame yourself for my sexual orientation. It's not your fault. It's not my fault. I want you to accept it because you love me... because I want you to be part of my life and I'm your daughter. And I believe 'One of the nicest things about being mother and daughter is that one day you discover you've turned into friends.''

Julie L. Shaffer was homegrown in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and she has been recently transplanted in Seattle via a John Deere tractor. Apparently, Julie has a collection of wonderful implements. That's farm implements, you know.

Being french, I have followed the coming out of Ellen through newspapers and TV (CNN mostly) and a friend who sent me THE episode. I must say that I admire Ellen Degeneres more than anyone else. I also am always amazed at the look of love that Betty Degeneres shows towards Ellen and Anne and though this love should be the norm, it often is not. I've never talked to my mother the way Ellen did but I love my mother more than anyone in the world. I think she knows but I still don't know how to tell her. I hope that a french translation of this book will exist and I can offer it to her. I think it's the perfect book for non gays and gays, for individuals and familys. If Betty DeGeneres goal was to open eyes, minds and hearts, I can assure you that she has succeeded. I often cried reading the book and I must say that the letter written by Ellen to her mother on page 8 was terrible for me to read. The love between them is so strong that it made me feel strong too...Thank you Betty DeGeneres and thank you Ellen.

This is a powerful book about women. Focusing on Ellen's coming out, Betty DeGeneres gives her autobiography in a wonderful writing style. This is the memoir of a mother (twice over), woman, accidental spokesperson, cancer survivor, and supporter of gay rights. Betty is a strong woman, but as this book shows it took her many years to get where she is today. This book promotes acceptance, love, and understanding. I recommend it to both those who are coming out and to parents with gay children.

I picked this up not really familiar with Ellen's comedy, but I was truly a fan after reading it. It was so amusing by Ellen's querky personality and wonderful offbeat humor. She has a wonderful way of putting things that never failed to crack me up. Like most comedy books though, I must admit that I would probably find all of the material far more humorous and enjoyable if I saw a preformance; Ellen, like other comedians, is great in her field but no writer--her routine loses a bit of humor when transferred to paper. It is still an enjoyable book and laugh-at-able read. Recommended for the fans of Kate Clinton (and Kate Clinton recommended for those who become fans of this book.)

Ellen Degeneres is the funniest comedic performer to ever grace the stage, and now bookshelves. Her book, "My Point... and I do have one" is not your typical book written by comedians. Ellen has not written this book to tell you how much she loves her family, nor has she written it to tell you all about the hard times she's had in her life, she wrote it to bring you extreme joy, and hours of endless laughter. When I first read this book in November of last year I had only heard of Ellen from an HBO Comedy Showcase, and I knew then that she was extremely funny. I borrowed the book from a friend and went into my room and lay down on my bed. I began to read it and before even finishing the first chapter, and began laughing, hard. Laughing so hard in fact that tears began streaming down my eyes. My mother ran to my door and began knocking to ask what was wrong. She thought I was crying I was laughing so hard. In her book Ellen looks at the little things in life, like what your teachers and friends thought of you when you were growing up. What it is like to have a sister or brother who is favoured. She deals with all of the issues, such as wearing fur, in the funniest manner possible. She does not tell about her life, at least not in an auto- biographical manner. She looks at the little things in life that we never take time to notice and she notices them for us and makes us laugh about them. No one will be able to read more than a page of this book without breaking into glorious laughter. It is a very therapeutic book which could bring even the most dismal of people out of the dumps. READ IT!!!!

It's just so Ellen. You can hear her talk as your read her words on paper. It's very funny, and easy to read which sometimes is a pleasure in itself.

Having loved Betty's first book "Love, Ellen" I was surprised to be a little disappointed by this one. Still full of love and support, Betty does have good points to make; however, it gets to sounding like a broken record after a time. I think Betty's problem lies in the fact that society can sound a lot like a broken record on this subject, and feeling passionate about her own side, Betty states her points over and over again to compensate. Her style in this book is a bit more rushed and choppy. But, as it is a quick read, and has more specific advice spelled out for parents of gay children, I would still recommend the book to anyone interested in gay rights and coming out (from both sides of the fence--those doing it, and those hearing it).

For any gay child, reading more from Betty DeGeneres confirms that we want to adopt her as our own Mom. More personal disclosure than her first effort. The unfortunate breakup between Ellen and Anne makes the timing of this release a bit awkward though. For any parent who is struggling to deal with their child's sexual orientation, this is a must-read book.

"Just a Mom" was a tremendous help to me when I was struggling to overcome my ignorance about my daughter's homosexuality. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a gay loved one.

Ellen; I would like to hear your real story. You know something like "The Truth" by Ellen; would be nice. From what I can tell; the author did an unauthorized book as she never seems to meet Ellen directly. I bet Ellen didn't even get a dime for this book. UGH! Another case of glam/slam by a writer trying to cash in on a person that had the guts to stand up for their own truth! (...)

I bought this book expecting a carefully researched, full biography on Ellen. Instead it was basically a rehash of magazine articles, videos, and news stories about Ellen and her Coming-Out. The author did not even interview Ellen, so we don't get a true, direct-source picture of Ellen's life. Instead, we have old information taken from other sources and condensed into this book. It doesn't sound like the author interviewed Ellen's closest friends and associates, either; I got the impression that a lot of the information was third- or fourth-hand, not directly from the sources. This book is crassly commercial and written at the time that public interest in Ellen was at its peak. It reads like a fan magazine and its sole purpose was to make money, not to provide an insightful biography of Ellen DeGeneres. I would only recommend it to those who no longer have access to the magazines and videos about Ellen's show and her coming-out.

I am an admirer of Ellen and applaud the difficult decision she had to make in order to live her life her way. This book, which was a fast read, left me wanting more.

Who is Ellen. What are her likes and dislikes. The book was a chronograph of her professional life and while she is "still a work in progress" it would have been nice to know a little more about who she really is as seen through the eyes of friends and family.