I just finished Knock Yourself Up: No Man? No Problem! A Tell-All Guide to Becoming A Single Mom by Louise Sloan. It was a quick and entertaining read. For the most part each woman she writes gets introduced as if for the first time in each chapter, so you don’t have to read it cover-to-cover if you don’t want to. This is good if you’re interested in just one or two chapters, but somewhat tedious if you’re reading the whole thing. In fact, at one point she actually uses the same story/quote within a page of one another (which, in reading the acknowledgements about missing deadlines and not being able to incorporate all editing advice, could be due to those factors).
That being said, that’s the ONLY complaint I have. The book is funny, honest, touching and refreshing. Sloan tells it like it is, blending her own experiences as a Choice Mom with quite a few others–professionals, working-class, lesbian, straight, conservative, liberal, families who disapprove, families who get excited…it’s all there. This is not meant to be a comprehensive how-to guide (she refers to the two choice mom “bibles” for that information), but a series of snapshots of the lives of trying to conceive, being pregnant alone, and being a solo mom. This book is like sitting down with your single-mom-by-choice girlfriends and swapping stories.
I highly recommend this entertaining and informative read for anyone who’s considering, trying, or already is a single mom by choice.
birch & raven 