Based on the title, I didn't know if I'd like this book or if I felt it was written for me. As a relatively new mother, I'm drawn to nonfiction memoirs from other mothers, but this one also tackles the heavy topic of post-partum depression and how the author struggled with major mental breakdowns. Even though I personally had a relatively easy pregnancy and post-partum recovery, I am so happy I read this book. The author's writing style is charming, self-effacing, and markedly real. She unabashedly discusses everything ranging from the sin of feeding your infant Pop Tarts to reconnecting with her dog after bringing home baby. She struggles with a fussy baby in ways that new mothers will easily relate to. One of my favorite passages is, "…I did consider parenthood a job. It was the most difficult job I ever had, a job where my boss had to approve my bathroom breaks, a job that required me to wipe my boss's ass. And not only was I really good at it, but I was also stupid enough to love it." Mothers and fathers alike will enjoy this book and will come to understand why the author, Heather Armstrong, was recently featured in the Forbes list of "The Most Influential Women In Media" for 2009. Her website and daily blog, dooce.com is as equally enjoyable as her book.
2 comments:
Based on the review, this book sounds incredible. Thanks, Juliane!
Unfortunately, I have to disagree with this review. Let me first say that I'm a huge fan of the author's website (dooce.com) and have followed her long before she published this book. I admire her greatly as a business woman and how she turned her love for writing into a way to provide (very well) for her family.
With that said, I found the book very disjointed and forced. I often felt as if the author were forcing humor (when it wasn't funny). Often, I found myself paging back to the title of the chapter to try and figure out how a particular paragraph fit into the topic.
Unlike the reviewer, I didn't find the book to shed like on post-partum depression and the author's issues. I kept looking, but they just weren't there. She peppered a sentence here and there about her depression and made it seem (to me) like no big deal until she had herself committed.
I am not disregarding Ms. Armstrong's illness. It was real. However, I think she did a much better job at describing it on her blog...for free.
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