Birth: A Literary Companion (Paperback)

~ Kristin & Lynne Kovacic & Barrett (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Literary companionship for mothers- and fathers-to-be is the objective of this evocative collection of poetry, essays, and short stories. Kovacic and Barrett, both mothers, lamented the lack of literature that revealed the truth of the child-bearing experience, began searching, and finally identified a new genre of birth literature. The book is organized from conception through childbirth and includes a wide variety of experiences by all kinds of parents. Among the contributors are Sylvia Plath, Margaret Atwood, Rosemary Bray, Stephen Dunn, and Audre Lourde. The emotional range presented includes the trepidation, resentment, joy, and hysteria from the time the pregnancy test delivers the anticipated and/or feared news, through the pangs of actual delivery, on to the incredible machinations of breast-feeding and other parental responsibilities. The writers offer vivid descriptions of childbirth, as well as the agonizing self-doubts and accomplishments that occur every step along the way. A wonderful collection about a transforming experience, the book is sure to be thoroughly enjoyed by expectant parents. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Parenthood is full of secrets. The pregnant body, labour, the mysteries of a new child, the transformation of relationships - men and women are themselves reborn as they become parents. This text collects the work of 50 accomplished writers to guide new parents through this complex terrain. Arranged chronologically - from early pregnancy to late infancy - the text can be read solidly or dipped into in the middle of the night. Here, a curious reader can find a frank essay about breastfeeding, an accurate story about labour, or a tender poem about the terror of holding a newborn child. "Birth" covers the huge emotional spectrum that new parents pass through - from fear and loathing to uncontainable joy. Embracing all kinds of parents - gay and straight, mothers and fathers, married and single, adoptive and biological - the book unlocks, through literature, the secrets of parenthood that science and society rarely reveal. This book aims to be an enduring guide to the emotional and spiritual changes of parenthood.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: University Of Iowa Press (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877458316
• ISBN-13: 978-0877458319
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,012,908 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Secrets that Science and Society Never Reveal", January 22, 2003

By A Customer

This is a beautiful book, a way back into that vivid time for parents of children no longer infants, and a companion to the newly pregnant, the heavily pregnant, and the sleep-deprived after a midnight feeding.
In their introduction, Kovacic and Barrett claim that "a well-crafted poem, story, or essay can unlock the secrets that science and society never reveal." The collection includes some well-known writers - Rita Dove, Sylvia Plath, A.S.Byatt and Margaret Atwood - but most of them, to me, are new discoveries, and writers I will now look for in other places.
The book is divided into sections, named for a piece included in each: First Stirrings, Notes from the Delivery Room, The Welcoming, and Now That I Am Forever with Child. While some pieces provoke tears of sentiment or joy, the authors included do not shy away from the scary, ugly, ironic, humorous, and sorrowful. Most newly expectant couples tend to rush out and buy the What to Expect type books, the ones detailing physical symptoms of mother and baby, all the things that can go wrong, what you should feel when, and why you should avoid sugar (well, okay, you should). This book opens up the vast new emotional territory that lies ahead for parents. I would have loved to have it as a pregnant woman, and I love reading it now.