Dispatches from a Not-So-Perfect Life

Dispatches from a Not-So-Perfect Life
Author: Faulkner Fox
Publisher: Crown
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2007-12-18
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0307420582

When Salon.com published Faulkner Fox’s article on motherhood, “What I Learned from Losing My Mind,” the response was so overwhelming that Salon reran the piece twice. The experience made Faulkner realize that she was not alone—that the country is full of women who are anxious and conflicted about their roles as mothers and wives. In Dispatches from a Not-So-Perfect Life, her provocative, brutally honest, and often hilarious memoir of motherhood, Faulkner explores the causes of her unhappiness, as well as the societal and cultural forces that American mothers have to contend with. From the time of her first pregnancy, Faulkner found herself—and her body—scrutinized by doctors, friends, strangers, and, perhaps most of all, herself. In addition to the significant social pressures of raising the perfect child and being the perfect mom, Faulkner also found herself increasingly incensed by the unequal distribution of household labor and infuriated by the gender inequity in both her home and others’. And though she loves her children and her husband passionately, is thankful for her bountiful middle-class life, and feels wracked with guilt for being unhappy, she just can’t seem to experience the sense of satisfaction that she thought would come with the package. She’s finally got it all—the husband, the house, the kids, an interesting part-time job, even a few hours a week to write—so why does she feel so conflicted? Faulkner sheds light on the fear, confusion, and isolation experienced by many new mothers, mapping the terrain of contemporary domesticity, marriage, and motherhood in a voice that is candid, irreverent, and deeply personal, while always chronicling the unparalleled joy she and other mothers take in their children.

Motherfoclóir

Motherfoclóir
Author: Darach O'Séaghdha
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2017-09-07
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 178669185X

Bestseller & Winner of the Popular Non-Fiction Irish Book Award. 'Thought-provoking, irreverent and often laugh-out-loud hilarious' Irish Independent. "Motherfoclóir" [focloir means 'dictionary' and is pronounced like a rather more vulgar English epithet] is a book based on the popular Twitter account @theirishfor. As the title suggests, Motherfoclóir takes an irreverent, pun-friendly and contemporary approach to the Irish language. The translations are expanded on and arranged into broad categories that allow interesting connections to be made, and sprinkled with anecdotes and observations about Irish and Ireland itself, as well as language in general. The author includes stories about his own relationship with Irish, and how it fits in with the most important events in his life. This is a book for all lovers of the quirks of language.

Encyclopedia of Motherhood

Encyclopedia of Motherhood
Author: Andrea O′Reilly
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 1521
Release: 2010-04-06
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1452266298

In the last decade the topic of motherhood has emerged as a distinct and established field of scholarly inquiry. A cursory review of motherhood research reveals that hundreds of scholarly articles have been published on almost every motherhood theme imaginable. The first ever on the topic, this Encyclopedia of Motherhood helps to both demarcate motherhood as a scholarly field and an academic discipline and to direct its future development. With more than 700 entries, these three volumes provide information on the central terms, concepts, topics, issues, themes, debates, theories, and texts of this new discipline. Further, the encyclopedia examines the topic of motherhood in various contexts such as history and geography and by academic discipline. Key Features Provides an overview of the topic of motherhood in many and diverse disciplines, such as anthropology, sociology, psychology and philosophy Examines the meaning and experience of motherhood in many time periods from classic civilizations to present day Includes an entry for all the influential theorists of maternal scholarship from the pioneering theories to the more recent writings Covers issues and events of our current times including entries on the mommy blog, the motherhood memoir, terrorism, reproductive technologies, HIV/AIDS, and LGBT families Explores geographical, cultural, and ethnic diversity with an entry for almost every country in the world as well as entries on lesbian, immigrant, adoptive, single, nonresidential, young, poor mothers and mothers with disabilities Key Themes History of Motherhood Issues in Motherhood Motherhood and Family Motherhood and Health Motherhood and Society Motherhood Around the World Motherhood in the United States Motherhood Studies Prominent Mothers In human society, few institutions are as important as motherhood, and this unique encyclopedia captures the interdisciplinary foundation of the subject in one convenient reference. The scope of the Encyclopedia of Motherhood is focused on providing a comprehensive resource to understanding the complexities of motherhood for academic and public libraries, written by scholars and institutional experts in the social and behavioral sciences.

Spilled Milk

Spilled Milk
Author: Andy Steiner
Publisher: Rodale Books
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2005-07-28
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1623362296

Wildly funny tales and practical wisdom from the author's and other women's breastfeeding experiences--to reassure readers that there is no one way to be a great breastfeeder In this perfect antidote to "lactivist" propaganda, award-winning writer Andy Steiner weaves together hysterical anecdotes and tips from the trenches to offer comfort and realistic advice to new nursing moms. Spilled Milk will help them understand that not all babies are going to "get it" right away, that breastfeeding can hurt even if you're doing it correctly, and that baring your breasts in public will actually become shamefully easy with time. Steiner writes: "Looking back at my milky adventure, I realize now that while breastfeeding is a natural act, it's also a difficult one. And after amassing an impressive collection of how-to breastfeeding books, nipple shields, lactation consultants, breast pumps, nursing bras, storage bags, and wicked breast infections, I can only say that the one thing that was missing from the experience was a book that could tell me--in a casual, non-preachy tone--that I wasn't alone, that everything was going to be okay." That is the book that Steiner has written. Her fresh viewpoint and casual, girlfriend-to-girlfriend advice make Spilled Milk practical and accessible for every mom-to-be.

Maternal Connections:

Maternal Connections:
Author: Kandee Kosior
Publisher: Demeter Press
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2022-09-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1772584207

This is a wonderful and insightful collection of stories and reflections of mothers on the connection with their own mother after becoming a mother themselves. The chapters are primarily autobiographical and are told through a range of lens, be it a graphic chapter or the more literary. An author outlines Anishinaabeg ceremonial practices that honour and represent maternal connections, and others demonstrate how art and craft can both assist in working through and carry forward maternal stories. Two further pieces use a combination of literary critique, feminist theory and post-Freudian psychoanalysis to interpret varied texts and another highlights findings from a series of interviews with women reflecting on the attributes and practices they will carry forward or discard from their experience of being mothered.

I Know What I'm Doing -- and Other Lies I Tell Myself

I Know What I'm Doing -- and Other Lies I Tell Myself
Author: Jen Kirkman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2017-04-25
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 147677028X

"Jen offers up all the gory details of a life permanently in progress. She reassures you that it's okay to not have life completely figured out, even when you reach middle age (and find your first gray pubic hair). She talks about making unusual or unpopular life decisions (such as cultivating a 'friend with benefits' or not going home for the holidays) because you don't necessarily want for yourself what everyone else seems to think you should. It's about renting when everyone says you should own, dating around when everyone thinks you should settle down, and traveling alone when everyone pities you for going to Paris without a man"--Amazon.com.

Motherhood Memoirs: Mothers Creating/Writing Lives

Motherhood Memoirs: Mothers Creating/Writing Lives
Author: Justine Dymond
Publisher: Demeter Press
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2013-07-01
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1926452925

The authors in this collection examine and critique motherhood memoir, alongside the texts of their own lives, while seeking to transform mothering practice— highlighting revolutionary praxis within books, or, when none is available, creating new visions for social change. Many essays interrogate the tensions of maternal narrative—the negotiation of the historical location of writer and readers, narrative and linguistic constraints, and the slippery ground of memory—as well as the borders constructed between the “objective” scholar and the reader who engages with and identifies with texts through her intellect and her emotional being.

Bodies of Knowledge

Bodies of Knowledge
Author: Wendy Kline
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2010-10-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 0226443078

Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, women argued that unless they gained access to information about their own bodies, there would be no equality. In Bodies of Knowledge, Wendy Kline considers the ways in which ordinary women worked to position the female body at the center of women’s liberation. As Kline shows, the struggle to attain this knowledge unified women but also divided them—according to race, class, sexuality, or level of professionalization. Each of the five chapters of Bodies of Knowledge examines a distinct moment or setting of the women’s movement in order to give life to the ideas, expectations, and pitfalls encountered by the advocates of women’s health: the making of Our Bodies, Ourselves (1973); the conflicts surrounding the training and practice of women’s pelvic exams; the emergence of abortion as a feminist issue; the battles over contraceptive regulation at the 1983 Depo-Provera FDA hearings; and the rise of the profession of midwifery. Including an epilogue that considers the experiences of the daughters of 1970s feminists, Bodies of Knowledge is an important contribution to the study of the bodies—that marked the lives—of feminism’s second wave.

Working Mother

Working Mother
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2003-12
Genre:
ISBN:

The magazine that helps career moms balance their personal and professional lives.

Twenty-first-Century Motherhood

Twenty-first-Century Motherhood
Author: Andrea O'Reilly
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 410
Release: 2010-09-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0231149662

"Andrea O'Reilly's coverage is comprehensive. Her book reflects current trends in the field, particularly the examination of reproductive technologies and the Internet and their implications for motherhood and mothering."---Heather Hewett, State University of New York, New Paltz, writer and editor of the Global Mama column for Girl with Pen (www.girlwpen.com) --