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Spring is finally here! As flowers bloom and birds sing, why not join the celebration by dropping your to-do list and picking up a new book? Starting with this afternoon's naptime, set yourself up in a sunny spot and dive into one of the following:
Rose Communications, 1996. Just as I was loudly bemoaning my postpartum bulges and sags, I received a copy of I Am Beautiful, and read the following excerpt: "The beauty of my body is not measured by the size of the clothes it can fit into, but by the stories that it tells. I have a belly and hips that say, We grew a child in here, and breasts that say, We nourished life." This book is filled with photographs and words that proclaim the beauty of over 500 women who contributed to this project, and if you think that having big boobs and a tight ass are what beauty is all about, these women will definitely challenge your assumptions. Beauty is defined here as recovery from cancer, as breaking the cycle of abuse, as embracing a cultural heritage. Like me, you will probably find some pages that validate your own concerns about beauty, even while you are confronted with an entirely new perspective on an age-old ideal. So, OK, I'm still not thrilled with the current size of my thighs, but after reading (and re-reading) I Am Beautiful, I am finding a whole new way to look in the mirror! Child of Mine: Writers Talk About the First Year of Motherhood, edited by Christina Baker Kline Hyperion, 1997. Susan Cheever, Mona Simpson, Sarah Bird, Naomi Wolf, and others share their emotional experiences of motherhood in a realistic, uncensored fashion. Whether you're waiting to give birth or are already raising your little ones, Child of Mine will offer validation for an experience that is both brutal and blissful! Motherhood Reconceived: Feminism and the Legacies of the Sixties, by Lauri Umansky New York University Press, 1996. In Motherhood Reconceived, Lauri Umansky looks back to the political and social upheavals of the 1960s to examine the roots of current trends in the perception of motherhood. Through the works of Jane Alpert, Mary Daly, Susan Griffin, Adrienne Rich, Dorothy Dinnerstrein and others, Umansky charts feminist discourse on motherhood from the 1960s through the 1980s. For a mother, as well as any woman who wishes to understand the roots of contemporary ideas concerning motherhood, Motherhood Reconceived should be required reading! Go To Page: 1 2
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Amy Condra-Peters's Mothering topic, please visit the Discussions page. |
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