MADreads

Just had a baby or got a divorce? (hopefully not both)

May 6th, 2009 Katharine - Sequoya

If you’ve had either life circumstance happen recently, this “2-fer 1 review” might give you a suggestion for some “I feel your pain” reading.  First off, my favorite blogger Heather Armstrong (aka Dooce) just published a book.  Since I read her blog daily I hoped it wouldn’t just be a rehash of her blog entries and I was delighted to find out it was fresh material.  It Sucked and then I Cried: How I had a Baby, a Breakdown and a Much Needed Margarita details Heather and Jon Armstrong’s adventure as first time parents with some frank description of pre-natal joys such as hemorrhoids, pregnancy classes and disgusting food cravings which culminates in a 12-hour labor resulting in daughter Leta.

The book includes Armstrong’s touching monthly letters to her infant daughter and her very open and frank discussion about her struggles with her mental health.  Armstrong was just on Oprah last week and I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a reality show in the works.  My only concern with Armstrong’s success is that I’m afraid she’ll succumb to network executives and a big paycheck and end up being the next Jon and Kate.  So as a long-time fan I ask: Heather, please stay chained to your computer in Utah and don’t let cameramen in your house!

The next part of this “2-fer” is a book by NPR contributor Amy Dickinson called The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, a Daughter and the Town that Raised Them.  This memoir is about her journey through a divorce and finding her way as a single parent.  Luckily Dickinson has lots of good examples to emulate; her mother and two aunts and two sisters are all doing the “solo” dance of child rearing and all live in the tiny town of Freeville, New York (population 458.)

Dickinson’s writing is quaint and proper compared to Armstrong’s crass voice, but her story is moving and speaks to the idea of “surviving” the rough parts to get to the gems of life.  I didn’t know Dickinson had taken over at the Chicago Tribune as their Ann Lander replacement.  Fans of her work there and at NPR will probably enjoy this sneak peek into her upbringing and life.  So if you prefer an “R” rated rant about pregnancy and motherhood or a “PG” description of surviving a divorce this “2-fer” review is for you.  Operators are standing by to take your order for this great offer.

Entry Filed under: Memoir & Biography, Nonfiction