Peace maven Pat Montandon, otherwise known as Sean Wilsey's mother—a principal subject of Wilsey's memoir, which was recently excerpted in The New Yorker—tells it like it is in an interview with Merla Zellerbach at The Nob Hill Gazette:

Was writing the book a sort of catharsis for him?

I hope so! He had a horrible childhood. I did some things that I’m not proud of, that I read about—things that contributed. It was a tough time for both of us. It’s hard for people to understand, because in our divorce culture, people think, “Oh well, get over it!” But if you care about someone and you’re really in pain, it’s not easy. And Sean had to deal with all of that at a vulnerable age.
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What was your reaction when you first read it?

I was on the floor for two weeks!

Good on the floor or bad on the floor—or just floored?

I was so shocked I couldn’t move. I thought, “Oh, my God!” Sean has been through hell, and I, as his mother, should have known about it—and I didn’t. I was in deep grief for him, for (his father) Al and for all concerned. I felt enormous compassion for Sean—and for myself, for that matter. But I couldn’t talk to Sean about it even though I knew he was very eager to find out what I thought.

What did you do?

I sent him an email saying I totally supported him, but I wasn’t able to talk about it just yet. I needed time to digest it—to put it in perspective.

How long did that take?

(Laughs) I’m still doing it! Well, I am and I’m not. I know that at this stage of life to have a son like Sean and to have a grandson and a daughter-in-law whom I love very much—and to have Sean be honest with me is a gift—a true gift. So many mothers and sons hide what they’re really feeling and when this happens they become empty shells—shell people, I call them.

Were there statements in the book you disagree with?

Yes, we’ve gotten into big arguments about the part where he says I had a temper tantrum when I didn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize. It didn’t happen. And the part where he says we discussed how to kill ourselves didn’t happen that way either.... You've got to read the whole thing.