“How I Raised My Son Elon”, the biography of Maye Musk that tells all the background

Men are what their mothers made them. said Emerson. The origin of everything therefore lies in the first, and, to better understand the now second richest man in the world, as well as an eccentric visionary and controversial figure who supports unpopular theories, there is the biography of his mother, Maye Haldeman Musk. , which will be presented in Milan on January 12th.

As a child she traveled in the South African deserts in search of a mythical city on a propeller plane, when she became a woman she appeared in special Kellogg commercials, in Beyoncè’s videos, and on the covers of Vogue. . Behind the modeling success, she escapes an abusive marriage, cooks “healthy and convenient” beans and cuts her hair at home, as well as being the mother of three, including Elon Musk.

The biography arrives in Italy

It is entitled “A woman must have a plan” and tells the whole story of Maye Musk, the biography published by Giunti Editore which will be presented at 18:30 at the Mondadori bookshop in Piazza Duomo in Milan.

A book in which Musk’s mother tells all the behind the scenes that led her to become a model, dietician, influencer. A story of socio-economic redemption for women, as a woman, as a mother and as a professional. Retracing a difficult life made up of family problems, and battles against stereotypes in the world of fashion and beauty, Maye Musk also highlights the childhood of her son, the “Genius Boy”, who today makes him sleep in a garage according to his wishes. to visit him.

Who is Maye Musk

Maye Haldeman Mus was born in 1948 in Canada, but grew up in South Africa, in Pretoria. Her parents, Winnifred Josephine, and Joshua Norman Haldeman, a chiropractor and amateur archaeologist, brought an adventurous side to her childhood. For years, they have been venturing on a prop plane across the Kalahari desert, in search of a legendary lost city. Then she Maye separated from her family in 1970 and married Errol Musk, a South African engineer she had known in high school, the man with whom she raised three children Elon, Kimbal and Tosca, but also the man by whom she was forced to flee after years of domestic violence.

Amidst abuse and motherhood, she completed a masters degree in dietetics at the University of the Orange Free State in South Africa, followed by another postgraduate course in nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. Meanwhile she also appears on Special K cereal boxes, in Revlon commercials and in a Beyoncé video. The modeling career worked, in fact it lasted 50 years, and even when she moved to Canada and the United States, she made the covers of international magazines.

At 69, she became the oldest spokesperson for the CoverGirl cosmetics company, also won the title of Dior beauty ambassador and began collaborating with Creative Artists Agency LLC, an American arts and sports agency based in Los Angeles. In 2019 she writes all about her in her biography of her: “A woman makes a project: advice for a life of adventure, beauty and success”.

What kind of mother was she?

Clearly, Maye Musk’s success and curiosity about her life’s past is magnified by her eccentric son. And she also tells in her story about what happened before Elon became the second richest man in the world.

“I never told my kids not to be afraid. They have seen me make mistakes and solve problems, because things often go wrong. My children learned to survive the same way I learned it: by watching my parents, ”explained Maye. Musk in an interview with Donna Moderna. “I was working late and they had to go out, because my office was at home. They did everything themselves: I let them choose what to study, but they also had to deal with loans and scholarships. »

Maye Musk’s family profile tells of a life also made up of deprivation, public schools, second-hand uniforms and then «no cinema, no dinners out: I cooked beans, healthy and practical. I was cutting the boys hair by myself and yes, I was terrible at it. I’ve never been rich before investing in my children’s business. And I have to say they were generous when they sold it,” she concluded.

Elon Musk’s childhood

Maye Musk also brings her son into her story, as an addendum to her personal story. A boy who after the divorce chose his father to settle in Canada and who still today, when his mother visits him, is put in a garage, despite the fact that he has a fortune of 146.5 billion dollars.

She always knew her son, Elon, was different. Since he was three years old, since she gave him the nickname “Genius Boy”, an inventor and innovator who, however, as his mother tells us, has always had little interest in material goods, so much so that he doesn’t even own a house .