Protecting Mama is an intense, deeply personal, and often shocking memoir that dives into the murky, bureaucratic, and, at times, sinister world of legal guardianship in the United States. Author Léonie Rosenstiel shares the painful saga of her mother’s entanglement in a guardianship system that seems more interested in control and profit than care or dignity. Backed by over 40,000 pages of legal documentation and her own relentless determination, Rosenstiel walks us through years of institutional deception, family secrets, courtroom manipulation, and the emotional toll of fighting a system that feels rigged from the start.

What really gripped me was the raw, unfiltered way Rosenstiel lays out her story. This isn’t some detached legal analysis. It’s deeply human, almost unbearably so at times. The moment she describes how her mother’s guardian removed her beloved Egyptian bark paintings replacing them with photos of her abusers, that broke me. It wasn’t just a decorating choice; it was a cruel erasure of identity and comfort. Rosenstiel doesn’t just tell us what happened, she makes us feel the outrage, the helplessness, the absurdity of a system that hands so much unchecked power to total strangers. Her writing isn’t flashy or polished to a high literary shine. It’s straightforward, emotional, and piercingly honest. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Rosenstiel also has a sharp, sarcastic edge that I really appreciated. When she fact-checks a New Mexico bureaucrat who claimed almost no one complains about the guardianship system, Rosenstiel does a quick Google search and finds millions of hits for “guardianship abuse.” That’s the kind of mic-drop moment that makes this book more than a personal story; it becomes a wake-up call. She’s done her homework, and she’s not afraid to take aim at judges, attorneys, and “professional guardians” who profit off of the vulnerable. I admired her restraint, too she never veers into conspiracy theory territory. She sticks to what she can prove, and she can prove a lot.

At the same time, this book isn’t just about a broken system, it’s about a family and all the messy, unresolved history that comes with it. I was struck by the honesty with which Rosenstiel reflects on her mother’s past and her own role in trying to untangle decades of secrecy and trauma. You can feel how desperate she was to find any way to help. That level of emotional vulnerability, combined with the bureaucratic horror show she was navigating, made this a uniquely powerful read.

Protecting Mama is a gut punch of a book. It’s not light reading, but it’s important. If you have aging parents, or if you work in law, healthcare, or elder care, this book should be required. It’s a warning, a protest, and a love letter all rolled into one. Rosenstiel pulls back the curtain on a system that thrives in secrecy and shows us why silence is not an option. For those willing to face the uncomfortable truth, Protecting Mama delivers it with fierce honesty and heartbreaking clarity.

Pages: 481 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09MV3XMMB