Recommended Reading List
Conversations About Motherhood
By kerryclare0 ratings
Two years ago, The M Word: Conversations about Motherhood was published, a book that broadened our understanding about motherhood and womanhood. And extra-textually, The M Word has been part of a larger conversation about motherhood. Here are some other excellent books that have been contributing to that conversation as well.
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In the Fall 2014 issue of Herizons, Deborah Ostrovsky writes, “There is a strong Canadian tradition of public discourse on motherhood, from the late journalist June Callwood’s interviews with unwed teenaged mothers to Marni Jackson’s memoirs, and anthologies like Double Lives and Between Interruptions. The M Word adds 25 thoughtful voices the mix… You won’t keep this book; you’ll pass it on to friends whose current vocation is changing diapers, or to friends who want a child, and those who don’t.”
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I love this gutsy, gorgeous book of women telling stories of their abortions and their lives. The stories are as various as the women themselves. Three cheers for nuance.
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It is wonderful to see the full spectrum of parenting experiences being acknowledged after so long of miscarriage, loss and grief having to go unspoken. This anthology features important stories and great writing.
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A hilarious, honest and heartrending story of one family's road toward motherhood. This book is excellent in its particularities, but anybody who has built a family by any means will relate to Meisner's experiences.
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Does anyone give parenting advice quite like Ann Douglas? She doesn't give you a system, instead she gives you options to apply for your particular situation—and assurance that you are not alone. It's a breath of fresh air in a world of baby whisperers and super nannies. She is generous with sharing her own experiences and what she's learned from others in this new book about parenting and mental health.
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There is no closet quite like the infertility closet, and Karleen Pendleton Jiménez busts the door down in this candid, generous memoir.
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Mothers can be all kinds of people, as Priscila Uppal demonstrates in her acclaimed memoir, which is one of the most emotionally gripping books I've ever read. It's also about Blade Runner.
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A parenting memoir with a map inside—what an extraordinary thing! I love a book that takes its reader somewhere and in her memoir, Maria Mutch has her reader accompany her into the dark alone places, jazz clubs, the Antarctic, and parenting a child with a disability. It's also a beautiful love story, affirming that all of us have company in aloneness. An amazing work of literature.
