© 2012 Mothering Magazine. Powered by Huddler Families
A library of recommended reading for natural families.
Mothering Magazine media reviews offer an alternative source to the mainstream recommendations on health, personal, environmental, parenting and natural family living issues of today. The following books and films have been reviewed and recommended by Mothering's editorial staff. To purchase a book or film, or get more information, simply click on the title. Happy reading!
Featured Media of the Week:
The Daddy Shift: How Stay-at-Home Dads, Breadwinning Moms, and Shared Parenting are Transforming the American Family
By Jeremy Adam Smith
Forthcoming from Beacon Press on Father's Day 2009:
A revealing look at the meaning of stay-at-home fatherhood—for men, their families, and for American society.
It's a growing phenomenon among American families: fathers who cut back on paid work in order to focus on raising children.
But what happens when dads stay home? What do stay-at-home fathers struggle with—and what do they rejoice in? How does taking up the mother's traditional role affect a father's relationship with his partner, children, and extended family? And what does stay-at-home fatherhood mean for the larger society?
In chapters that alternate between large-scale analysis and intimate portraits of men and their families, journalist Jeremy Adam Smith traces the complications, myths, psychology, sociology, and history of a new set of social relationships with far-reaching implications. As the American economy faces its worst crisis since the Great Depression, Smith reveals that many mothers today have the ability to support families and fathers are no longer narrowly defined by their ability to make money--they have the capacity to be caregivers as well.
To read more, visit Jeremy Adam Smith's website at www.jeremyadamsmith.com/_i_the_daddy_shift__i__62113.htm [1]
You can also preorder the book on Amazon.
You can read Jeremy's blog here, www.mothering.com/jeremysmith [2]
Labor of Love: A Midwife's Memoir [3]
By Jacqueline Beach
People still see homebirth as a radical trend, despite this time of ecological consciousness, the burgeoning local and organic food movement, and perhaps most importantly, regardless of the fact that it was the chief birthing method used by American women until the 1950s and is still the primary course in developed European and Asian countries. In her debut book Labor of Love: A Midwife's Memoir (Kaplan Publishing, January, 2009), Cara Muhlhahn (the certified nurse-midwife featured in Ricki Lake's 2008 controversial documentary, The Business of Being Born) insists that homebirths are not high-risk endeavors facilitated by shaky hands. Through anecdotes from her 30 years of experience, she attempts to prove that good midwives and doulas not only provide more individualized care than hospitals and doctors, but are also solidly prepared for emergency situations. The book is a must-read for all pregnant women contemplating where and how they'd like to give birth.
Muhlhahn has aided in the delivery of more than 700 babies, and according to the American College of Nurse-Midwives, ten percent of her clients are transferred to hospitals and four and a half percent of her clients end up having Cesarean sections. In Labor of Love, readers are privy to an array of birth stories, from Muhlhahn's own home delivery of her son Liam, to women rushed to hospitals, to the tragic story of the one infant she was unable to save.
Muhlhahn is headstrong, honest, and attuned to a deep spirituality. She shows a propensity for behaving calmly and listening to an inner voice that guides her in emergency situations. A world traveler since teenage-hood, she traveled to France as an au pair, and while vagabonding through Morocco during her early 20s, witnessed a girl's death and felt a strong calling to join the medical profession in order to help others.
After a midwifery apprenticeship in Oregon and working at a clinic in Texas, Muhlhahn completed her nursing degree with honors at Columbia University and graduated from a SUNY midwifery program. Her intelligence, education, and insight are apparent throughout the book. Her voice is professional, yet some readers may be surprised at her blunt honesty and indelicate descriptions when, for example, she tells of sticking a gloved hand into her client's uterus to manually remove her placenta.
It seems appropriate that Muhlhahn gave birth to her son Liam at home before starting her solo midwifery practice. Her candor is on full display when she shares her personal birthing story. Looking back with humor, she admits that she hid in the bathtub, snapped at her midwife, longed for pain medication, and contemplated a C-section. The epiphany she needed came when she realized that the pain she felt at the time ("a rock covered in glass shards lodged in my ass") was likely the same as what she would feel while pushing. It's easy to like Muhlhahn; she bursts through the page as an authentic, exuberant person.
After years of working in hospitals and birthing centers, there came a time when Muhlhahn could no longer tolerate what she considered to be defensive medicine practices and institutional agendas. While working at one birthing center in Manhattan, she was told by the director that she was not allowed to breastfeed her baby in the waiting room. Soon after, in 1996, she decided to open her own homebirth practice, which she has sustained for the past 13 years.
Muhlhahn recognizes that hospitals and doctors are necessary in some cases, but she wants women to make their own decisions about where and how to give birth. She believes a woman's body can perform as it was designed, passing a baby through the birth canal without the use of chemicals and tools, but with the support of a trained midwife and the care of family and friends. Her stories posit that limited perspectives and unnecessary medical practices and procedures in hospitals and birthing centers vastly counter the comfortable, safe atmosphere of giving birth at home—the mother's most familiar environment. She not only critically questions the way women in America give birth, but also provides a strong case for delivering at home with a midwife.
Jacqueline Beach is a freelance writer living in Hoboken, NJ. Her work has appeared in the New York Post, TimeOut New York, The Advocate, The Huffington Post, and on Sirius Satellite Radio and Mothering.com. She is also a senior production editor at John Wiley & Sons, where she works on culinary and architecture titles. She is co-editor of the online magazine FeaturingAmerica.com [4], and you can read about her culinary escapades on her food blog, Devour This [5].
Labor of Love: A Midwife's Memoir - Buy It Now! [3]
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Tummy 2 Tummy [6]
Babywearing provides many advantages to both the wearer and the baby. It allows a parent to be very active, and at the same time, gives the baby the closeness he or she needs to develop a strong bond with the parent. Whether you are new to babywearing and want to learn the basics, or you are an experienced babywearer looking for more advanced techniques and positions, you'll find what you need on Tummy to Tummy. Buy It Now! [6]
The Well-Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook: Give Your Baby a Healthy Start with 100 Recipes That Adapt to Fit How You Feel [7]
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy It Now! [7]
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Autism and the God Connection: Redefining the Autistic Experience Through Extraordinary Accounts of Spiritual Giftedness [8]
William Stillman explores the exquisite spiritual sensitivities, including psychic abilities, of some people with autism spectrum disorder—even those who are severely incapacitated. Stillman, who himself has Asperger's Syndrome, believes in "always assuming intellect" of the person with autism. His research demonstrates that, when treated with respect and given the right tools for communication, many such people are willing to share their special spiritual gifts with us. This very moving book is made all the more beautiful by the author's palpable admiration for people living "on the spectrum." (Sourcebooks, 2006)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy It Now! [8]
The Big Book of Birth [9]
by Erica Lyon, founder of the Realbirth Center in New York City, is an authoritative, comprehensive guide that gives a play-by-play outline of every stage of labor, while also addressing such topics as effective natural (and pharmaceutical) pain management. This excellent book offers the confidence that comes with being thoroughly informed. (Plume, 2007)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy it Now! [9]
Breastfeeding Basics [10]
Part of an award-winning series, this practical how-to DVD is an excerpt from the longer DVD, Breastfeeding Comprehensive. Often used as a mother's guide, physician's tool, or a helper's roadmap, Breastfeeding Basics features renowned experts and breastfeeding advocates William Sears, MD; Jay Gordon, MD; and Paul Fleiss, MD. www.breastfeedingvideo.com [10]
Reviewed by Debby Takikawa
Baby on Board: Becoming a Mother Without Losing Yourself -- A Guide for Moms-to-Be [11]
In Baby on Board: Becoming a Mother Without Losing Yourself—A Guide for Moms-to-Be, personal coaches Joelle Jay and Amy Kovarick offer concrete exercises for helping pregnant women access their creativity and personal power and determine what kinds of values, perceptions, and dreams they want to bring to new motherhood. (American Management Association, 2007)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy It Now! [11]
Finger Puppet Friends: Little Duck, Little Ladybug, Little Lamb, and Little Bee! (Finger Puppet Book) [12]
Finger Puppet Friends is a clever collection of four tiny board books from Imagebooks—Little Duck, Little Ladybug, Little Lamb, Little Bee—that entertain with an animal finger puppet that pokes through a circular hole in the center of each book. For ages 0 to 2. (Chronicle Books, 2007)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy It Now! [12]
Money Talks [13]
Money Talks, from director Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, takes an inside look at the tactics pharmaceutical companies employ to sell more drugs—from tempting physicians with expensive gifts to funding their own drug-efficacy studies. The documentary includes interviews with Jerome Hoffman, MD, director of the UCLA Doctoring Program; Jon Abramson, author of Overdo$ed; and former drug salespeople. Slattery-Moschkau's own experiences working for the pharmaceutical industry motivated her to make this documentary, as well as the fictional film Side Effects (starring Grey's Anatomy's Katherine Heigl), which explores the same topic, Hollywood style. (Money Talks and Side Effects: Hummingbird Pictures, 2006).
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy It Now! [13]
You Just Have to Talk to the Man
This film's subject, Granny Midwife Margaret Charles Smith (1906?2004), attended more than 3,500 births without ever losing a mother. She lived and worked in rural Eutaw, Alabama, a town ruled by Jim Crow and the Ku Klux Klan.
Reviewed by Debby Takikawa
Finding the Words
In the US, neurological disorders have reached epidemic proportions—over a ten-year period, the rate of autism in California increased by 273 percent. This documentary, which follows the stories of eight children struggling to recover from autism spectrum disorder, investigates possible causes of this disease, particularly the role of vaccines. www.findingthewords.org/site/files/ftw.htm [14]
Reviewed by Debby Takikawa
Children of Tak' Alik A'baj
Following in the birthing traditions of their great Mayan and Olmec ancestors, a rural Guatemalan couple give birth to their ninth child. No running water, no electricity, no problem—this film offers a glimpse into a birthing context in which low- to no-tech is the unproblematic norm. www.sagefemme.com/works.asp [15]
Reviewed by Debby Takikawa
Baby-Led Breastfeeding: The Mother-Baby Dance
This film, by Christina Smillie, MD, and featuring commentary by lactation expert Kittie Frantz, RN, demonstrates baby-led breastfeeding, in which a mother guides her infant to crawl up the belly and latch on to the breast. This process, instinctive in human babies, stimulates a cascade of reflexes, including rooting and sucking. www.geddesproduction.com [16] Reviewed by Melissa Chianta.
When a Monster Is Born [17]
This monster picture book, by Sean Taylor was announced the Gold Medal Winner of the Nestlé Children's Book Prize, under-5 category. Sean declined the prize money, saying that he could not accept it because of his concerns over the marketing tactics used by Nestlé in their promotion of infant formula (as reported in Mothering's January 7, 2008 news bulletin [18]. Show your support for Sean's decision by purchasing When a Monster Is Born [17]
On You Are My Little Bird, Elizabeth Mitchell's clear, steady voice burnishes traditional and original folk tunes to a warm glow; her precise vocalization gives these simple songs a subtle sense of sophistication. The album's a treasure. (Smithsonian Folkways, 2006)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy It Now! [19]
This Summer Night, from Bostonian Sandi Hammond, features original piano-driven, folk-rock tunes imbued with the power of this classically trained soprano's lush, sensuous voice. In addition to performing, Hammond composes and records custom-made lullabies for your baby. She extensively interviews parents to ensure that each lullaby is uniquely that baby's own. (Sandi Hammond, 2005; www.sandihammond.com [20], www.yourownlullaby.com [21]) Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Messages from the Womb Meditation/Beautiful Birth Meditation, from Kate Street and LovefromBaby.com [22], is a two-CD set of calming, nicely paced visualizations and encouraging affirmations that aim to facilitate intuitive prenatal communication with your baby as well as a fulfilling birth experience. (Kate Street and LovefromBaby.com [22], 2007)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Shoot Em Up This DVD, by documentary filmmaker Judy Apicella, contains hard-hitting interviews with top experts on vaccinations and safety: David Kirby, author of New York Times-bestseller Evidence of Harm, Barbara Loe Fisher, of the National Vaccine Information Center, Dr. Stephanie Cave, author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations, and Peggy O'Mara, of Mothering magazine. Informative and compelling, the documentary sheds authoritative light on the complicated issue of vaccination, including the government's treatment of vaccine-damaged children. A must-see for every parent. 1 hour, 25 minutes.
Buy It Now! [23]
Prenatal with Gurmukh [24]
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy It Now! [24]
Everyday Blessing: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting [25]
By Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn. The Kabat-Zinns explain that parents today are often forced to live on automatic pilot and, as a result, find it difficult to give the greatest gift of a parent—one's nonjudgmental, conscious, fully accepting presence. Everyday Blessings is a powerful new way of looking at and facing the challenges of parenting that draws upon the practice of mindfulness.
Buy it Now! [25]
Complete Pregnancy Fitness with Erin O'Brien: Workouts for Before & After Childbirth [26]
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy It Now! [26]
Welcome With Love [27]
My jaw dropped when I first saw Welcome With Love, by Jenni Overend, a gorgeous Australian picture book about a homebirth. The gently told story is illustrated by Julie Vivas's intimate, pastel-hued watercolors, which bravely portray what actually happens during birth. This older but nonetheless exceptional book is stunning, and definitely deserves a place in your children's library. For ages 3 to 7. (Kane/Miller, 2000)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy It Now! [27]
The Community-Based Doula: Supporting Families Before, During, and After Childbirth [28]
Rachel Abramson, Ginger K. Breed-love, and Beth Isaacs chronicle the development of the Chicago Doula Project, which has served inner-city teens with great success: lower rates of cesarean section and epidural, and significantly higher rates of breastfeeding initiation. At one site, the latter rate went from almost zero to 65 percent in the project's first year. Practical as well as inspiring, the book outlines how to replicate the program, as has now been done in several states, including New Mexico. (Zero to Three, 2006)
Reviewed by Melissa Chianta
Buy It Now! [28]
National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals [29]
It would be difficult to overstate the excellence of the National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals, by Karen McGhee and George McKay, PhD. While marketed for children, it's actually a splendid book for all ages over seven.There are almost 200 gorgeously colored pages featuring more than 1,000 species, maps, cross sections, photo essays showing animals in their habitats, information on conservation, size listings, a comprehensive glossary, and a usable index, as well as eminently readable introductory pages explaining animal classification, and a handy guide for using the rest of the book. Logically organized, from "Mammals" through "Birds," "Reptiles," "Amphibians," "Fish," and "Invertebrates," it's a joy to browse, for both the major and minor illustrations. For instance, a dozen bears are featured in a double spread, and in the corner is a detailed illustration of their feet and digging claws, plus a box rendering the extinction status of various species, especially of the 1,000 surviving pandas. Encyclopedia of Animals is that rare coffee-table book that may be compulsively pored over by anyone who bumps into that particular coffee table. Reviewed by Peter F. Neumeyer
Buy It Now! [29]
National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals [29]
It would be difficult to overstate the excellence of the National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals, by Karen McGhee and George McKay, PhD. While marketed for children, it's actually a splendid book for all ages over seven.There are almost 200 gorgeously colored pages featuring more than 1,000 species, maps, cross sections, photo essays showing animals in their habitats, information on conservation, size listings, a comprehensive glossary, and a usable index, as well as eminently readable introductory pages explaining animal classification, and a handy guide for using the rest of the book. Logically organized, from "Mammals" through "Birds," "Reptiles," "Amphibians," "Fish," and "Invertebrates," it's a joy to browse, for both the major and minor illustrations. For instance, a dozen bears are featured in a double spread, and in the corner is a detailed illustration of their feet and digging claws, plus a box rendering the extinction status of various species, especially of the 1,000 surviving pandas. Encyclopedia of Animals is that rare coffee-table book that may be compulsively pored over by anyone who bumps into that particular coffee table. Reviewed by Peter F. Neumeyer
Buy It Now! [29]
More Book Reviews
- Adoption [30]
- Breastfeeding [30]
- Children's Books [31]
- Children With Special Needs [32]
- Commercialism [33]
- Divorce [33]
- Education [33]
- Environmental Issues and Activism [34]
- Fathering [34]
- Health and Wellness [35]
- Mothering's Top 25 Classic Books for Parents [36]
- Multiculturalism [36]
- Parenting [37]
- Pregnancy and Birth [38]
- Sleep [39]
- Teens and Sexuality [39]
- Vaccinations [40]