Customer Reviews

Infertility Sucks! (Keeping it all together when sperm and egg stubbornly remain apart)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Very funny, brutally honest, on the mark and well written, Barna gave the world a gift when she wrote this book! Suffering from infertility myself, it changed my view from feeling victimized to feeling empowered. Exactly what I needed, it gave me the ammunition to go out in the world where it seems everyone but myself is pregnant. I was so sick of reading sappy, sad books,and I was tired of feeling sorry for myself,Barna's view on infertility was so refreshing, I immediently felt uplifted and ready for whatever life threw at me. A must have!!

I would recommend this book to anyone who is having difficulties getting pregnant, starting treatment, or have been through treatments to read this book. It really helped me. My husband and I went through 1 1/2 years of treatment before taking a break to get back our lives. When we decided to start back TTC after a year of nothing I bought this book and read it cover to cover in one day. It gave me the emotional strength to start over again. We are still in the process but whenever I feel down on myself I just pick the book up (which I keep next to my bed!) and read a few pages it helps me to focus and get my head back to being me and not about the problems! It helped me laugh at the treatments, my husband, and myself again!

Amy :-)

This is a great book on so many levels - First of all, it made me laugh, and it made all the women in my support group laugh too! Its one of the few books about the experience of infertility from the inside - without the feel-good sentimentality of those "inspirational" stories, but also without anger. It's a funny funny book! And if you've gone through it, you'll find yourself in the book for sure. It really embraces the "sisterhood" that none of wanted to be part of.
It's also an important book for friends and relatives - with wit and warmth it really communicates the roller coaster of the the mind and spirit that is infertility treatment.
So if you're infertile, get two copies - one for yourself, and one for someone you love. They'll appreciate the insight!

Thanks to other reviewers, I went into this book very aware that it was one woman's humorous approach to infertility. I found it very entertaining, but then again, I did expect (and was therefore prepared for) the sarcasm. As it was intended for infertile readers only (or mostly) I understood the emotion behind it and thought it was all in fun. [I've been trying for **nine years** to get pg; sometimes it's human to get a little frustrated and grumpy about it.] The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are funny too. The book has zingers but I think they are meant for those who deserve them (like people who tell infertile women/couples to relax). I've read many angrier and meaner blogs on the Internet. Okay, it has a scarcastic tone sometimes, but overall I thought it had a positive spin on coping with infertility. I plan to buy another copy for my girlfriend, or give her mine!

Written with the advantage of firsthand experience; spiced with candor and creative thought; a blessing for those weary of the usual trite and untrue, and quite ready for a full frontal view of a complex matter.

I have found this book to be very helpful in supporting and dealing with the emotions of my spouse as we go through our IVF journey. The book really helped me understand the delicate emotions of someone experiencing infertility and how comments like "relax", "stop worrying about it", etc. actually do more harm than help. As a result, I am much more supportive in this IVF cycles than I have been in other cycles because I changed the focus of my comments and have avoided saying the wrong thing.

Metaphors abound in this candid insight into the minds of the infertile woman, with the right mix of wit and humor. This book provides not only a respite from the multiple emotional and physical challenges of being infertile, but also a realistic perspective for those who know (or think they know) the trials and tribulations of an infertile couple. Kudos to Bev Barna, for sharing such a personal, intimate and emotional topic with such comical ingenuity. May it offer the same comfort to others as it has to me!

We all know that infertility is not funny business, but boy did this book make me laugh...And it is emphathic as well. Good job.

I am not infertile, but a few of my friends are. This great book for the first time helped me understand what they are going through. The empathy contained in this book, along with its humor, has helped me gain a true understanding. I have shared it with my infertile friends, all of whom have derived comfort,
solace and humor in its pages. Barna has given to us all a real gift.

As some other reviewers have noted, this book can be useful both to those going through the experience of dealing with infertility, and to those who want to interact with them with tact and understanding. The author treats every conceivable aspect of the topic. Her approach is always intelligent and warm, yet never cloying or clinical.

The author's wit (and impressive familiarity with pop culture!) make the book compulsively readable and even---though I hesitate to apply the term to a book on such a serious subject---highly entertaining.

The book is filled with practical advice as well as with moral support for those going through the experience of trying to cope with infertility. Highly recommended!