A touching and intimate correspondence between Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, offering timeless wisdom and a revealing glimpse into their lives
Though Anderson Cooper has always considered himself close to his mother, his intensely busy career as a journalist for CNN and CBS affords him little time to spend with her. After she suffers a brief but serious illness at the age of ninety-one, they resolve to change their relationship by beginning a year-long conversation unlike any they had ever had before. The result is a correspondence of surprising honesty and depth in which they discuss their lives, the things that matter to them, and what they still want to learn about each other.
Both a son’s love letter to his mother and an unconventional mom’s life lessons for her grown son, The Rainbow Comes and Goes offers a rare window into their close relationship and fascinating life stories, including their tragedies and triumphs. In these often humorous and moving exchanges, they share their most private thoughts and the hard-earned truths they’ve learned along the way. In their words their distinctive personalities shine through—Anderson’s journalistic outlook on the world is a sharp contrast to his mother’s idealism and unwavering optimism.
An appealing memoir with inspirational advice, The Rainbow Comes and Goes is a beautiful and affectionate celebration of the universal bond between a parent and a child, and a thoughtful reflection on life, reminding us of the precious insight that remains to be shared, no matter our age.
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“If any two people have lived through way more than their share of crises, singly and collectively, it is Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt. Their brave engagement with what they confront so staunchly in this extraordinary dialogue leaves me quite simply awestruck.”
— Washington Times
“A remarkably frank and tender undertaking.”
— New York Times“Fascinating, forthright, philosophical, and inspiring, these mother-and-son musings on family, life, death, forgiveness, fame, and perseverance are at once uniquely personal and deeply human.”
— Booklist (starred review)“[A] touching story…Through greater openness, Cooper and Vanderbilt achieve a new closeness, demonstrating in this intimate and lively read that it’s never too late to have a rich relationship with family.”
— Publishers WeeklyAnderson Cooper is a journalist and television anchor who has won numerous major journalism awards for his work, including eighteen Emmy Awards, several Peabody Awards, and a Edward R. Murrow Award. He is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including Dispatches form the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival; The Rainbow Comes and Goes, Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, and Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune.
Gloria Vanderbilt is the author of four memoirs and two novels. She contributes to various publications, including the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Elle, and she has received two honorary Doctorates of Fine Arts. She lives in New York City.