The Fruits of Labour: Creativity, Self-Expression and Motherhood [Paperback]

Penny Sumner (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

From the practical demands of having children to the change of identity it brings, this volume addresses woman's experience of motherhood. It addresses the need for "a room of one's own," the difficulty in balancing a career with the demands of child-rearing, postnatal depression, the "ideal" of motherhood, holding on to one's sense of self, choosing not to have children, giving birth, and the empty nest. Contributors include Alice Walker, Sue Woolfe, Adrienne Rich, Jacqueline Morreau, Sharon Olds, and Louise Erdich.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

From the practical demands of having children, to the change of identity it brings, this collection of essays by noted writers and artists speaks to women’s experience of motherhood: the need for “a room of one’s own,” the difficulty in balancing a career with the demands of child–rearing, postnatal depression, the “ideal” of motherhood, holding on to one’s sense of self, and choosing not to have children. Vivid and inspiring, this anthology forms an intimate portrait of women’s shared experience and opens a window onto the creative mind.

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Women's Press (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 070434629X
• ISBN-13: 978-0704346291
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,889,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emotionally powerful!, January 18, 2008

By 

Molly Remer "MSW" (Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fruits of Labour: Creativity, Self-Expression and Motherhood (Paperback)

I was attracted to this book first because of its cool cover image and second because of the intriguing subtitle Creativity, Self-Expression, & Motherhood. I guess I read this at a vulnerable time for me or something, but for some reason I found it a very emotional read. There were several times in which my face sort of involuntarily contorted with pain (like a grimace almost), because of the power of the writing (or my own vulnerability. Not sure which). The book is collection of essays by female writers--most with children--primarily reflecting on their children and their art and the integration of the two (some of the writers were primarily dancers or artists, so the art was not always writing). It included excerpts from several books I've already read such as Of Woman Born and The Blue Jay's Dance. Another was an excerpt from the published diaries of sculptor Kathe Kollwitz who was a German sculptor writing during World War I. One of her sons was killed in the war and she is haunted by it and it was so difficult to read her story (she died in 1967, I believe. I'm fascinated by the timelessness of people's stories and how they can reach out from the past and touch you still. It is startling too how real their lives and experiences were and now they are gone and nearly forgotten. It is a poignant--or crushing--reminder of mortality and impermanence).

One sentence that pierced my heart and made my face crumple with pain was, "Other Mothers' Sons [a painting] was created out of fear and empathy for the mothers who had nurtured and protected young men through infancy and childhood, only to risk losing them in a battle that was not of their making." I'm not sure why this particular sentence touched me so--maybe just as a mother of young sons--or maybe I was feeling particularly emotional. Reading it now, it doesn't hit me quite the way it first did. There was something about this book that just really touched me in an emotional place. I recommend it especially to mothers who also do other creative work in addition to mothering.

This review is primarily excerpted from my book blog, [...]