3 Comments
User's avatar
Devon Parish's avatar

Love this list! So many to choose from but I have to plug Matrescence by Lucy Jones and Mothershift by Jessie Harrold. Both are less about the decision to have a kid but very much about the clash of "have it all" culture and the perfect mother myth with the real challenges of mothering in today's society. They delve into the loss of self and total identity shift that come with this radical life transition.

Expand full comment
Ruthie Ackerman's avatar

Thank you so much for these recs, Devon! I read Matrescence and found it so insightful but I haven't read Mothershift. I'll add that to my list. There are many more books that were published after I did the research for my book that didn't make my list: Mothers and Other Fictional Characters, The Good Mother Myth, Second Life....the list goes on and on. That's why when editors and agents act like motherhood is a niche subject I want to scream. I'm greedy for all the motherhood stories!

Expand full comment
Devon Parish's avatar

Agreed! Well I am grateful to you and all these authors for plowing through the pushback, feeding our hunger for more motherhood tales, and paving the way for the next wave of stories.

Expand full comment