Tag Archives: Parenthood

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

American Literature January 7, 2009 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: A collection of short stories featuring Indian American protagonists. Review: Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake was one of my favorite books I read the year I was pregnant with Superfast Toddler, and I was so happy to get Unaccustomed Earth for Christmas this year. What I love about Lahiri’s stories is that I never feel shortchanged by them. No matter how good a short story is, for the most part I always wish I were reading a novel instead. Short stories are too brief,…

Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel

American Literature August 23, 2008 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A parenting book that looks at the bigger picture of raising adults, not children. Review: Grace Based Parenting really resonated with me. I’ve been a bit frustrated as I read about parenting, because it seems like everything has to be a method, a program, or a way of life. I have really been searching for a framework in which to carve out my own path with Superfast Baby, and this book gave me just that. Dr. Kimmel is a youth pastor, and I have…

My Child Won’t Eat by Carlos Gonzalez, MD

Spanish Literature August 15, 2008 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: A reassuring guide to help parents promote healthy eating habits. Review: Superfast Baby has not shown much interest in solid food, so My Child Won’t Eat was really helpful for me. Basically it reassured me that I can trust my instincts that she is getting the nutrition she needs from breastmilk, and that quality (ie, healthy food) is more important than quantity (no force feeding).

Two Books on Breastfeeding Issues

American Literature August 8, 2008 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Milk, Money, and Madness by Naomi Baumslag and Dia L. Michels Mother’s Milk by Bernice Hausman I’m researching an essay on breastfeeding practices and ended up reading these two dense and serious tomes that delve into America’s abysmally low breastfeeding rates. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least a year, and the World Health Organization recommends at least two. Yet many women opt out of trying, or give up at some point well before a year. Milk, Money and Madness examines the…

Our Babies, Ourselves by Meredith Small

American Literature August 1, 2008 Superfast Reader 6 Comments

Synopsis: An exploration of how parenting styles around the world bring into question our definition of normal infant behavior. Review: I was familiar already with a lot of the content of Our Babies, Ourselves, because Meredith Small’s findings crop up in a lot of literature on attachment parenting. However, it was still well worth reading because she delves so deeply into issues of evolution, natural selection, biology, and human development to demonstrate why parenting styles vary across cultural lines. She looks at tribes like the…

Parenting, Inc by Pamela Paul

American Literature July 31, 2008 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: An overview of the craze for consumption that has overtaken American parents. Review: I would’ve read Parenting, Inc even if I didn’t have a baby, because I find spenders (and hoarders, too) to be endlessly fascinating. I’ve also been interested in child development since I was in high school, and of course as a new mother I was really curious to see what Pamela Paul discovered about the baby industry. Surprise, surprise–people will say anything to make money! And parents are more than willing…

Jewel by Bret Lott

American Literature July 5, 2008 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A mother’s love is tested when she gives birth in 1943 to a daughter who is, in the lingua franca, is a “Mongolian Idiot.” Review: I picked up Jewel because I’m going to be participating in a writing workshop on Thursday led by Bret Lott. I figured I would read Jewel because it was the book picked for Oprah’s Book Club, and therefore his most well-known work. The book follows the life of Jewel, a Southern woman born in 1904 who spent her formative…

Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein

American Literature June 10, 2008 Superfast Reader 8 Comments

Synopsis: A writer and journalist who never wanted kids finds herself spiraling into obsession when she begins to try to conceive. Review: Peggy Orenstein paints herself in such a bad light in Waiting for Daisy that it’s next to impossible to sympathize with her predicament. And that’s too bad, because three miscarriages are a lot to suffer through. However, Orenstein paints her desire for a child not as a powerful emotional urge but as an accomplishment she can’t live without. She never once talks about…

Healthy Child, Healthy World by Christopher Gavigan

American Literature, On Reading June 2, 2008 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A practical how-to guide for greening your home. Review: I could have done without the celebrity endorsements in Healthy Child, Healthy World. I really don’t care what kind of diapers Brooke Shields uses or that Noah Wyle’s kids are vegetarians. I guess these are good selling points, but to me these sidebars were just a lot of clutter. I did like the suggestions and recipes for green cleaning, which is something I’ve been working towards for some time, not just for the health of…

The Shaming of the Strong by Sarah Williams

Canadian Literature May 27, 2008 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: Told their unborn child has birth defects that will likely lead to stillbirth, a couple decide to see the pregnancy through to term. Review: I am a sucker for stories like those found in The Shaming of the Strong. When I was pregnant with Superfast Baby I thought a lot about what I would do if I found out that something was wrong, and I hoped that I would be strong enough to make the choice that Sarah Williams made, however painful it might…

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