markwillnevercry's review
2.0
This is the second work that I am reading by this author, so some parts of the review might be aimed more on their general style in this book and "Displacement", so be aware.
Lucy Knisley has this style of sometimes just writing stuff without really thinking about the fact, that what she publishes, goes to people. Some people would say, that we live in the time of post-modernism and one should expect the writer to write more for themselves than for the audience, but I would argue that a work should be analyzed outside it's timeframe also. In case everyone wonders, I am talking about the first chapter, where the writer discusses about how before she gave birth, she found it extremely annoying that parents would mention their child's age in weeks rather than months and what a problem it created for her, which honestly tells us everything we need to know about how empathetic Lucy Knisley is to other people.
Lucy Knisley manages to write and publish a whole book on pregnancy, history of gynecology and societal misconceptions about pregnancy while mentioning not monogamous cis hetero couples once - and even that is just in one sentence. Sure, it is not the writer's responsibility to educate anyone, but with general vibe of the book, one might be mistaken.
On page 85, we can find a truly beautiful infographic on prices of different fertility treatments, that fails to mention the fact, that some of them are illegal in certain countries (and with the focus on US, in certain states), while other are behind heavily guarded doors. Must be nice to be able to not pay attention to such issues.
The acknowledgments are cute.
I am not writing this to tell, that this book is terrible, has nothing good to say and Lucy Knisley is terrible, I am here to just remind people that just because you suffer trauma, it doesn't mean that you get to cast away all of your privileges. Lucy Knisley wrote an auto-biographical work and it shows, just keep in mind that there is more to every issue than a random person can say about it.
Lucy Knisley has this style of sometimes just writing stuff without really thinking about the fact, that what she publishes, goes to people. Some people would say, that we live in the time of post-modernism and one should expect the writer to write more for themselves than for the audience, but I would argue that a work should be analyzed outside it's timeframe also. In case everyone wonders, I am talking about the first chapter, where the writer discusses about how before she gave birth, she found it extremely annoying that parents would mention their child's age in weeks rather than months and what a problem it created for her, which honestly tells us everything we need to know about how empathetic Lucy Knisley is to other people.
Lucy Knisley manages to write and publish a whole book on pregnancy, history of gynecology and societal misconceptions about pregnancy while mentioning not monogamous cis hetero couples once - and even that is just in one sentence. Sure, it is not the writer's responsibility to educate anyone, but with general vibe of the book, one might be mistaken.
On page 85, we can find a truly beautiful infographic on prices of different fertility treatments, that fails to mention the fact, that some of them are illegal in certain countries (and with the focus on US, in certain states), while other are behind heavily guarded doors. Must be nice to be able to not pay attention to such issues.
The acknowledgments are cute.
I am not writing this to tell, that this book is terrible, has nothing good to say and Lucy Knisley is terrible, I am here to just remind people that just because you suffer trauma, it doesn't mean that you get to cast away all of your privileges. Lucy Knisley wrote an auto-biographical work and it shows, just keep in mind that there is more to every issue than a random person can say about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Medical trauma
tabbynationevents's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Infertility, and Medical content
livia_jewel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
popsicleplease's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Grief, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Vomit
sammykay25's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Such an informative memoir about pregnancy and childbirth. Even though my birth and pregnancy weren’t quite as eventful as Lucy’s I was still able to relate so much her words and drawings. I felt so seen and heard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Vomit, Misogyny, and Miscarriage
sgeron's review
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Miscarriage
miayukino's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Always delightful to read Knisley’s work. I’ve been a fan since I was probably a bit young to read her work but I’m thankful to my mom for introducing me to her. Met her at a signing once (Dark Tower Comics), she drew me some sushi (so cool). I would’ve appreciated a nod of context to Black women’s influence on midwifery and the context of misogynoir in the creation of gynecology and I’m glad she included a detail about Black maternal mortality rates. All in all, a lovely blend of reproductive history and experience which felt like a reassuring hug after a fruitful venting session.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Vomit, Medical content, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cancer, Death, and Excrement
theliteraryagenda's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infertility and Miscarriage
Minor: Blood
threeara's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Pregnancy is so much. A nice mix of memoir and facts. Would read again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
thecozyrogue's review
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy