Reviews
Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes
booksteaandchocolate's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
bellevue's review against another edition
4.0
The ending dragged on a while but the book was pretty well written and had a lot of information that was thought provoking and interesting.
mochikoreads's review against another edition
4.0
Engaging read about science and culture of pregnancy through a feminist lens in simple language.
drwozniak's review
medium-paced
2.0
You guys aren’t gonna like what I have to say but alas, the researcher in me has been activated and wants to rip this book limb from limb.
nakedsushi's review against another edition
5.0
I finally read this book after hearing it referenced so many times on the Mom Rage podcast. It was great and now my go-to present for new parents. It had all the nitty gritty details about birth and aftercare that no one talks about as well as raw, emotional anecdotes from other mothers. I especially love that it’s not prescriptive and really just serves to educate women about their bodies.
amesd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Just a big ol’ must-read for everyone.
lindsaycatherinezoe's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting read and I enjoyed most of the book. Some of the last chapters thoroughly freaked me out even though none of the pieces that she shared felt particularly new to me - this is probably because I am due in less than a month.
I appreciate her honesty in addressing the realities of the impact of having a child on a birth parent's body, sexuality, romantic relationship (well, all relationships), and sense of self, however I would have appreciated these topics broached with some more explicit message of hope (like, it is really hard but you'll get through it) or ways to manage these shifts. I do think these shifts are real, but like, how DO people manage them? Why are people still having babies if it is that bad? Some insight into the sunnier aspects of parenthood/what helps people survive the shifts would have been helpful to me. Again, this criticism is likely a function of my own current circumstances, rather than a true reflection of the book.
Despite the book raising my anxiety level, I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone. She's a great writer and there are some really interesting factoids and powerful personal narratives that make it a very engaging read.
I appreciate her honesty in addressing the realities of the impact of having a child on a birth parent's body, sexuality, romantic relationship (well, all relationships), and sense of self, however I would have appreciated these topics broached with some more explicit message of hope (like, it is really hard but you'll get through it) or ways to manage these shifts. I do think these shifts are real, but like, how DO people manage them? Why are people still having babies if it is that bad? Some insight into the sunnier aspects of parenthood/what helps people survive the shifts would have been helpful to me. Again, this criticism is likely a function of my own current circumstances, rather than a true reflection of the book.
Despite the book raising my anxiety level, I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone. She's a great writer and there are some really interesting factoids and powerful personal narratives that make it a very engaging read.
rekhamohan1's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5