Texas Books

I finished "Breaking Even" by Alejandro Grattan Dominguez last night.
Rather than comment on the author's literary genius, which would take me a page or two, allow me to sum it up:

This book should be required reading in every High School in the USA. Too many kids have been abandoned. The book should at least be in every High School and Public Library

The one single message that screams out in this book, is this:
"YOU'RE NOT MISSING ANYTHING IN LIFE BY NOT HAVING YOUR PARENT AROUND. HE OR SHE MISSED OUT ON YOUR LIFE!
YOU DID NOT LOSE. HE OR SHE DID!

I did not realize that myself, until 20 years after not seeing my father, I was talking to my Aunt one night. It dawned on me: I've had a hell of a ball, done some really fun and fascinating things, met great people all over the USA and Mexico and he didn't get a chance to share in that. So, who's the loser??? ha ha ha You snooze, you lose.
Now, I'm sitting here laughing!!
It is a great book Alejandro! Perfect for today's millions of abandoned kids, whatever their age.
This story should be made into a movie and given out free at all video rental stores in the USA. There are too many abandoned kids, in one form or the other, and NO ONE is helping them to understand the cure for their self loss. Alejandro does that. His book is a cure for an EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL CANCER OF AMERICAN SOCIETY.
Thank you!! Mr. Dominguez. I was crying....and now I am LAUGHING!!

In every boy's life there is a crucial point where he teeters on the brink of manhood. It's at this time, when the boy-man is most vulnerable that he needs a role model to guide him past the final pitfalls of adolescence into the responsibilities of adulthood.

Breaking Even, Alejandro Grattan's brilliantly crafted coming-of-age novel begins with 18-year-old Val leaving his small West Texas town in search of his role model, a father who left years before and who Val discovers is very much alive even though his mother, Lupe has always told him his father had died a hero's death.

Apart from the mystery of his father, Val has other issues. His mother is Mexican and Val's mixed racial heritage fixes him firmly near the bottom of the social pecking order in their small town and gives him an identity problem. He dislikes his life working in his mother's roadside diner and dreams of going to Hollywood to work in the movies. His confusion causes him to refuse advice from those who most care for him. To top it off his girlfriend Bonnie is pregnant. His immaturity ensures he only grapples with twinges of conscience, never with real issues.

Val's father Frank Cooper is a high stakes poker player in search of his own Holy Grail, the big pot that always seems to be in the next game. When he finds Cooper, Val is at first taken in by his charm and easy manner. However as each flaw is uncovered Val comes to see his father as he really is, an addicted gambler with no dream and no prospect of one. With this realization Val's own sense of responsibility to himself and to others begins to develop. This, in turn allows him to discern right from wrong, and to identify those who really do care for him.

The theme of this book is personal responsibility and Grattan has ensured authentic characters by coloring no one completely black or completely white. All are developed realistically including the minor characters of Floyd, his mother's short-order cook husband and Blue, a washed-up saloon singer and paid escort who travels with Cooper. Though everyone has personal flaws they are redeemed by the responsibilities they assume. Only Cooper is without redemption and therein is the brilliance of the novel. The message is conveyed without preaching.

This is a serious story dealing with serious issues and can be enjoyed at different levels. At one Val's search for his father is a metaphor for the real quest, his identity. On another level the book can be enjoyed as a great story with tightly defined characters who speak incredible lines such as, "The life of the party had gone home leaving Val and Cooper stranded out in the middle of a conversational wilderness."

The author's screen-writing and film directing background is clearly evident in the imagery and visual scenes painted throughout the book. Apart from being a darn good read this novel is noteworthy for the issues addressed, well-rounded characters, colorful images, and biting dialogue.

This heart-warming and enticing story grabbed my full attention. I could hardly put it down. I was captivated by the plot and Val's dedicated search for his father and the challenges that he faced on his journey. Each character contributed to the excitement and the intrigue. I highly recommend this book.

I'm fifteen-years-old. My parents got divorced when I was eleven. I come from three generations of divorced parents. I wondered what the problem was with me, that I couldn't be with my dad. Then I read Alejandro Grattan Dominguez's book "Breaking Even", which was great, and I looked at the situation a lot differently.
I related to Val through most of the book. It made me feel better that it's okay to live without my dad. My dad lives in Phoenix right now and he is giving my mom and I problems that I'm not living with him. I'm not losing anything at all by not having my dad around. I'm having a good life without him. He is the one missing out. So to me, he is a jerk like Frank Cooper in the book.
I really got into the book when Val just walked out on his dad, because that is similar to what I did, and when I did, I felt bad, but inside, I actually didn't.
Now that I have read this book, I feel a lot better and it taught me some things. For instance, how Val left Big Bend, Texas, I left Dover, Delaware. That is where I grew up until I was seven-years-old when we started traveling.
My family in Delaware thinks it's so bad that my brother and I travel. I have fun with my gymnastics, traveling everywhere and seeing interesting things outside of where I grew up. But instead, my family is back in Delaware thinking they're having fun in their toxic waste State.
My situation is similar to Val's family and friends. They didn't want him to go search for his dad or work at his goal to go to California, but it's a lot better than staying in one place all your life. Plus, it's educational to see all the States and different cultures.
My opinion is that "Breaking Even" should be read in all High Schools in the Country because about seventy percent of kids in the U.S. only have one parent. I'm telling all my friends to read it. We're all miserable because of our parent's selfishness. It will help them like it helped me.

This is a coming-of-age story set in the 1950s. Val, an 18-year-old Mexican-American, works in his Mexican mother's cafe, lives for the movies, and dreams about leaving the small West Texas town where he has lived all his life. Having grown up thinking that his Anglo father was dead, he is shocked to learn that he is alive,and there begins the real story.

It is Val's search not only for his father, Cooper (who looks to Val like a Hollywood movie star and is actually a professional high-stakes gambler), but also for his own identity and roots as a Mexican-American man. Team the father and son characters Cooper and Val with Ms. Blue Morgan, a kind-hearted, aging paid companion from Reno, and the story becomes even more deliciously colorful and complicated. A poker game brings these three together in El Paso for their initial meeting, and it leads to a bigger poker game in Reno and the adventure of their lives. They are all coincidentally at turning points and must decide on new courses for their lives. This is more than a coming-of-age story; it is one of coming to terms with one's life and taking responsibility for that life. It is a story of hard questions and decisions. Ultimately, it is a story of liberation from past circumstances and the pursuit of destiny.

Grattan-Dominguez is a fine storyteller with a good sense of dialogue. His portrayals of character and of the authentic Southwest are sure to earn him a growing reputation as a writer.

This is a fascinating book: it deals with moral and ethical issues within a storyline that keeps you turning the pages, even if you are losing sleep or missing your spanish lessons. It does not let the folks who work in the justice system on the Texas/Mexican border off the hook as they confront the realities and ambiguities of life in that region.
These folks were real, when they were cut they bled - both the story and the characters are compelling.
I really look forward to his next book, wouldn't mind a series.
Catherine Lewis
Hackensack, NJ

This is an excellent book and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a legal thriller. This book has constant twists and turns that keeps you enthralled though the ending. It also leaves you with some interesting thoughts about how the legal system operates and wheather it has any truth to the story line. I encourage anyone who has any ties to Brownsville, Texas to read this as you will enjoy the Valley scenery.

An excellent legal thriller with enough drama and twists to keep any reader engaged. Author Carlos Cisneros makes his writing debut with this novel and it becomes immediately evident that his potential is limitless. highly recommended for anyone who likes grisham novels or the like. cant wait for the next book!

I could not put this book down. I cannot wait to read more of the adventures of the attorney Alex. I would recommend it to everyone. It is "fiction" but also fairly true to life.

Alex del Fuerte trapped my attention from the beginning, only a special personality would care for an estrange at the street talking to himself.
Alex's unpredictable reasoning leaded the story to an uncertain state of mind since the moment when he took his first case before even opening his law office.
From that moment, every single chapter is an intense ride where it is required to keep seat belts on and "persignarse" because we do not know what will happen to Alex.
My favorite scene is when Alex finally broke the silence and talked to his grandfather. It was a trembling moment of realization;
Was he really doing it on principle or for money?, was he any different from the other guys running cases and why he was still on the case?....
Why did he choose to continue and risk even his own life rather than just leaving the case as it was?...
"I can't live my life wondering what if?... I am talking about taking a chance, going for it, putting everything on the line...I do not want to wait on the sidelines and see everybody go by".
Alex's personality is very well defined through the view of an expert of Mexican-American culture. The places, and food as well as the local characters are so vividly described that they seem to be inviting to experience the South of Texas and border towns from Mexico.
At the end of the story, there is an extraordinary feeling of wanting to know more and I wonder what will be next?...
Mr. Cisneros, please continue writing.

Love love love this book. As someone who has recently found her "home". Becky Cochrane nails the feeling perfectly. Coventry Christmas is truly a celebration of love, the love that exist between friends, between partners,the love between family members, a girl and her hampster and even between a place and the citizens that choose to be there. This book made it's way under the tree of my friends and family. I wanted to share a holiday blessing ... Can't wait to see what comes next!

Wonderful story. I fell in love with this charming and quirky little town, and with all the people in it. At first, Coventry and some of it's inhabitants seemed almost surreal...a fabled, Brigadoon-ish kind of place that only exists in some other plane of existence. But as the story unfolds it seems less fantastic, and more like the way things should be. We see this through the eyes of Keelie, the main character, who undergoes her own metamorphosis. She starts out as your typical Houston urban dweller...caught up in the daily routines of city life, and becoming more and more unsatisfied with it. Keelie first sees the town of Coventry as a visitor, but over time, and with the help of some very well written characters, she finds herself becoming a resident. I think this story serves as an entertaining and touching reminder that a busy, complicated life isn't always a happy one. Sometimes you have to leave some of the extra things behind and learn to find your happiness in simpler ways, and in simpler places. Definitely worth reading...you'll be glad you did.

I just finished Becky Cochrane's wonderful book A Coventry Christmas. I've enjoyed her other works as part of the group responsible for Timothy James Beck, but it's great to see something of her own.

I love the small town feel of the story, very much like Fannie Flagg. You get wonderful characters that you just can't help but love. She also does an amazing job with her setting. She knows Houston well, and you can feel her affection for it in every desription of the city!

This book is one of the most enjoyable Christmas stories I have read in a long time. This book was not stressful at all. Although most of the story happens around Christmas time. It is also about good friends, family and starting over in a new town. Of course, what is a good Christmas story without a good romance or two. I read to relax, so I am looking forward to the next book by this author.

Christmas is supposed to invoke feelings of goodwill to all men, and cause a person to break out into song and dance in the middle of store aisles as harried Christmas shoppers hustle and bustle around them. To make people carry a sprig of mistletoe in their pocket to use on unsuspecting victims. But for twenty-eight-year-old Keelie Cannon, the only thing Christmas brings her is a splitting headache.

Originally a Georgia peach, Keelie fled to Texas with an old boyfriend and took up a position at Buy the Book, hoping to use it as a transition job before she could locate a more stable position where she could actually put her English degree to good use. Now, years later, the boyfriend is no longer in her life, but Buy the Book still is. Unfortunately, ever since an obnoxious manager named Rodney took over the store, Keelie finds that she doesn't enjoy the position nearly as much as she once did, and the holidays are only working to make her mood even worse. Keelie finds herself craving for a change, and when an unexpected accident, in which she breaks her foot gets her put on workers comp, she realizes that now is the time to seize the day, and make a change. Hobbling around on crutches, and popping Vicodin, Keelie decides to step out of her Texas misery, and head to a quaint little town called Coventry with her best friends Ivy and Evan. Accompanying the three friends is Ted, a bigwig from Buy the Book's corporate office who has slowly wiggled his way into Keelie's good graces. Coventry is everything that Keelie needed. The people all know her name, and couldn't be friendlier; and, thanks to Granny's blog, nothing about Keelie or her friends is a secret. But, somehow, that's okay with her. But when Keelie's hamster, Hamlet, starts behaving strangely, she knows that something is wrong and has to rush Hamlet to the local veterinarian, who happens to be the handsome Dr. Boone. Dr. Boone makes Keelie's teeth sweat, and his presence makes her believe that Christmas miracles do come true, and that she has finally met the man of her dreams. Until she learns something about Dr. Boone that would make any woman with a conscience run for the hills.

While A COVENTRY CHRISTMAS is labeled a holiday story, only the first 150 pages are truly Christmas-related, leaving the rest of the book to take place during the rest of the year. Ordinarily, this would annoy me, and instantly make me put the book down; however, in this case, Becky Cochrane did such a wonderful job, that I couldn't help but stick around - even after the Christmas parts were over. Keelie is such a fun protagonist. She is bitter and negative, laced with a sweet heart, and a peculiar sense of humor. The interactions she engages in with her friends - Evan, Holly, and Ivy - are very SEX AND THE CITY-esque, and leave you laughing out loud; while Granny and her crazy "Sex" night, and blog, present a wacky addition to the tale that make her irresistible. Of course, I can't forget Hamlet, the feisty hamster who, in my mind, stole the show, or Rip, a scarred dog with stories to tell. Cochrane has penned a wonderful novel full of zany characters, and a quaint town that you'll want to relocate to. Warms you from head to toe!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Life as art ... there is a special gift in the ability to share one's life as art, to issue a challenge to each beholder, to trigger a deeper reaching within and without, to one's coming away changed. The amazingly insightful cover and the signpost of a title dare us to pass through this doorway, to accept the challenge to go beyond and experience what these travelers before us offer to share. Will any two come away with the same experience? I don't think so. For me this journey was worth the beauty, love, and mystery revealed along side the pain of Dark Card. Without the presence of light, we would not even see this silhouette. I am thankful that there are artists and poets who can transcend the dark to share their lives by shining light.

In Dark Card, Rebecca Foust gives the reader a lesson in courage -- the courage of a mother raising a child with a disability, the courage to face the reality this forces upon her, the courage to probe the feelings deep within, and the courage to put those feelings into unforgettable words. This is the open heart of a mother, with all the pain and joy exposed. Read it with respect. It will move you.

Raw and beautiful, this collection captures the complexities of motherhood in a way few writers ever have. There isn't a mother alive who -- if she is honest -- won't recognize herself on these pages. The cover art, with its dark haunting outline, makes clear that the child inside this book is not just Foust's. He belongs to all of us.

Rebecca Foust's has written a stirring book of poetry describing the mixed blessings of raising a son with Aspergers Syndrome. Dark Card is a must read for all families dealing with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, and for those who seek a better understanding of what it is like to live with them.

Dark Card is a beautifully crafted and insightful book. It carries the reader to the deepest waters of the joys, fears and sorrows of motherhood. Rebecca Foust's poems touch the anquish of raising a son with Asperger's Syndrome with exquisite understanding. At the same time, she has written a collection of poems which resonate with all who have loved a child. One does not have to parent a special needs child to appreciate the beauty of these poems. They touch our loves, our fears, our hopes, our deepest yearnings. These poems herald the arrival in the world of poetry of a wise and unique voice.

The atmosphere and setting is wonderful it kept me spellbound riveted to the story. Sid is a feisty broad with gumption that doesn't let life pass her by because her life has changed dramatically it gives all of us old broads hope.
I just can't imagine myself deviling deep into the mystery of murder and it helped to know Sid had her own doubts. The tenacity in her won't let her give up and it gives all women hope.
Ah, it would be wonderful to see a television series made of Sidra Smart PI and her adventures into solving murders most fowl.
Joan

DEADLY SINS DEADLY SECRETS, the second installment of Sylvia Dickey Smith's Sidra Smart series, is a tale of how small town secrets and small-minded attitudes seldom mix with pleasant results.

Sid is desperately trying to keep the private investigation business she inherited from her brother open while living in a ghost active house with her overly-involved aunt and her overly-indulged feline, as well as a dog Sid saved from going to the pound when his owner died. Sid's love life and her professional life seem to be at odds with one another and with her past as the wife of a Baptist minister. To add another helping onto her already full plate, Sid is hired by a "tobacco-spitting, chair-rocking old codger more interested in the shine on his shoes than the dust on his furniture" to clear his dead son's name after he was accused of a double murder. After all, just because he happened to have been spotted at the scene around the time of the crime and just because his fingerprints were on the murder weapon does not automatically mean he was guilty of the crime. But try convincing the local sheriff of that--especially when the prime suspect is no longer able to mount a defense to the charges.

Sid must trudge deep into the swamp and even deeper into the past in order to solve this case. As if that isn't bad enough, her preacher ex-husband shows up in the middle of her date with a new man and the ghost who haunts her aunt's house refuses to allow Sid a good night's rest. This ghost is a long dead relative of her new client and former owner of that same house. Scrappy Kate, as she was known in life, has vital information for Sid about the present, her new case and the people involved in it.

Sylvia Dickey Smith is a master storyteller who weaves a tale tighter than a hangman's noose. Her characters resonate with a down-home true feeling found in small towns all across America. They come alive on the page. This is a book I could not put down and highly recommend.

This second book is every way as good as the first. Sidra is growing in spirit as well as PI knowledge. She fumbles/mumbles/succeeds like any and all of us would if we were following a dream.

Good writing, good character, freeing spirit make for good books.

Keep up the good work.

Sid Smart seems to be winning the battle for an independent life when she's hired to clear the name of a young man suspected of murder.

Her simple exists is constantly being complicated by visits from ghosts trying to tell her something, a preacher and his straying wife, a canine, and of course her aunt. Its bad enough that Sid is forced to move in with her aunt in her haunted 19th century home when her apartment building is sold, but then someone burns down the offices of The Third Eye detective agency; her agency. The suspected arsonist is then found dead on Sid's back porch.

Will Kate, the ghost, help Sid solve the mystery? Third Eye Intuitive Investigations is hard at work.

Sylvia Dickey Smith has a very entertaining series in The Third Eye, and Sid Smart. Sid gets stronger in every book.

Review by Wanda C. Keesey (author Lost In The Mist release May 2008)

If being an expert on crawling in windows is a requirement for a detective, Sidra Smart meets that requirement. She is the owner of The 3rd Eye Detective Agency with one solved case under her belt. In her former life as a minister's wife, Sidra would not have been caught dead crawling in a window-but Sidra is not the same woman as she was then.

When Dempsey Durwood contacts Sidra about hiring her to clear his son's name, Sidra feels compelled to take the case. Ned Durwood was hit and killed while trying to cross the railroad tracks behind the home of Abe and Cherrie Collins. Abe and Cherrie were later found murdered and the murder weapon had Ned's fingerprints on the handle of the knife. Dempsey states that his son had gone to the Collins residence about some work that the Collins couple wanted him to do. Dempsey is ready to spend his savings to prove Ned's innocence. Sidra takes the case but is uncertain if she can prove Ned's innocence.

Sid has just moved in with her Aunt Annie in a house that has the reputation of being haunted. Soon Sid begins to believe that there really is a ghost that only she can see. Her inquiries regarding the Collins case are taking her no place and the ghost is keeping her awake at night.

A man that Sidra has questioned is found dead on the porch of Annie's home. The office of the detective agency suffers an arson fire. Sidra discovers a secret about the wife of the local pastor. The more events unfold, the more determined Sidra is to find out what has happened in her town in the past that is now having a very adverse effect.

Deadly Sins Deadly Secrets is an exciting book that is full of surprises. I look forward to reading more about Sidra Smart, a spunky lady. I also very much enjoyed Slider, the dog that Sidra rescued early in the book.

I haven't read Dance On His Grave, the first Sidra book, but I intend to do so soon.

Armchair Interviews says: Sylvia is also a columnist for Southern Life and Style Magazine

This book was an asset. I used it instead of my assigned text when working to pass the TExES Principal exam. This book was much better and more reader friendly than anything else I had used. The special ed section is a Must Read as is the part on employee rights! I highly recomment this book!

The title doesn't sound overly interesting but it actually is an interesting book. Teaching is an important job but there are a lot of things that a teacher could do to get in trouble (such as breaking privacy laws). The book also covers the law regarding starting a job contract, which I found to be particularly enlightening. It also covers some of the changes to Texas law since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and laws regarding English language learners and illegal immigrants (they have the right to public education like anyone else). These are all important issues for the Texas teacher.

This book arrived quickly and has proved to be everything I needed it to be. Thank you very much

This book was used for a school law class. This is a great cheat sheet for educators in Texas, including teachers.

We have been using this text in our Texas Public School Law class in a chort of SFA in Mabank, and it has proven to be a wonderful resource book, sparking interesting discussion and debate.

In reading this book (and being a native Texan) I found that every word in the book is true. There is not one lie I can find. It is a great read if you are thinking of moving to Texas. It will let you know what you are about to get yourself into. It is also a great read for native Texans who want a great laugh! If you are from Texas, you can find at least one line in the book that describes your life in the wonderful state of Texas. :)

It wasn't my choice to go into exile, my family moved to New England when I was a kid. I've lived here since, but Texas has always still held my heart. This book is a great tribute to the great Texan way of life. It's a fairly good illustration of Texas and Texans, and it does contain a few good chuckles, I wish there were more though.

I bought this book for my mom, a proud Texan who hasn't lived there since shortly after she got married, some 50 years ago. But she related to everything in this book and laughed so hard she couldn't talk. Over the years, I've bought my fussy mom countless presents, but this is the first one I felt she really liked.

Even as a non-Texan, I found the book to be hilarious (my mom called me up and read the whole thing to me over a few nights). I don't even like Texas (too hot and buggy for my taste), but after hearing this book, it kind of made me want to move there! This would be a GREAT present (or gift to yourself) for anyone who loves Texas, anyone from Texas, and anyone about to move there (fixin' to be Texan).

We are thinking about making a move to Texas from California, and I wanted to learn a little about the culture. This book teaches you everything you will need to know. I couldn't put it down. It was hilarious!

Helen Bryant has summed up everything you need to make the transition from being "from someplace else" to being a Texan, all in a compact and witty book. I lived in Houston and San Antonio for 17 years and I'm fixin to go back (from California) so I thought I'd better brush up. I feel ready, now.

After I finished the book I wrapped it up and gave it to friends, native Southern Californians who are soon to make Fort Worth their home. If you are bound for Texas, read this book first!

Enjoyed it very much, bogged down just a little in several places. The author really got me caught up in the first page.

This is the type of book that is hard to put down. It grabs you from the start and keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. It is not only a great story, it is also full of history of the Texas rangers and the Mexican border towns. I can't wait to read the sequel. I highly recommend this book.

Agree with others: hard to put down. A New Yorker married to a Texan, I had to take Texas history for teaching certification. It was extremely interesting, but this book beats all by drawing the reader in, so that you sort of live that slice of history along with the characters.

A great read. I was hooked at the first chapter. What a way to start a story! And the story continues with suprising twists and turns. You will enjoy the last chapter as much as you enjoyed the first chapter.

If you liked this tale about the Texas-Rio Grande region, then you will like Bart Skelton's monthly feature in Guns and Ammo magazine. And likewise, if you like Bart Shelton, then you will like this book.

Enjoy.

This is a captivating story with lovable characters. There is just the right amount of excitement, historical reference and Spanish language smattered throughout to make this book authentic and informative but easy and pleasant reading. I am anxious to see more from this author.

This is an excellent book. As a 74 year old Jewish native Houstonian I could not put it down. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in Texas history, even if they are not Jewish.

This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to know more about Texas than football & beer!

This book delves into a part of Texas history that has been ignored. Hollace wrote with a very interesting style that kept me totaly involved until I finished. It is one of those books that you feel you become one with and never want it to end.

Hollace Weiner's writing kept me enthralled. This book is the rare combination of careful and accurate research while the presentation is that of an enticing historical novel. It's loaded with all the goods - mystery, politics, romance and more, but all the accounts are true. I couldn't put this book down as every chapter had a fresh and intriguing draw. The facts themselves are fascinating. Written in Ms. Weiner's engaging style, this book is a big winner. I give lectures on small-town synagogues and Jewish communities and I have already used some of the great new research covered in her book.

It is a very well written book which documents the great impact these Jewish Rabbis had on the people of Texas in general.

I read this book when my first child was a month old. It was exactly what I needed. I felt as if I had a sympathetic voice for everything I was experiencing emotionally. This book doesn't address the concerns found in most baby books such as how to dress and bathe your baby. Instead, it focuses on the changes you are experiencing as a new mother. It made me feel a little more sane while I was experiencing the crazy fogginess of sleep deprivation.

The best part about this book was that it was written in a question and answer format. I could easily pick it up where I left off as I was frequently interrupted by the demands of my newborn son. I was also able to tell when I didn't need the information on a certain subject and could skip right over it to the next question. I was able to digest the information at my own pace.

This book is a lifesaver for new mothers and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has recently had a child or is about to have one. It gave me hope when it seemed like my life was overwhelming and it reminded me that one day I will have a full night of sleep again!

I received this book as a gift, and now my best friend is pregnant so I'm buying her a copy. Every new mom needs this book! Anything and everything that comes up for new moms is addressed - from the baby's health and development to changes in your body and why you're fighting so much with your partner. Love the question & answer format, which makes for easy reading in quick "bites." I pick up this book over and over again and always find something new and inspiring. Highly recommended!

Motherhood Without Guilt: Being the Best Mother You Can Be and Feeling Great About It

I have read many books about how to care for your newborn, but this book was about how to take care of me, after childbirth. Every question I had and wondered if I was being selfish, greedy, overly protective or just depressed was included in this book. It gave examples that I related to. I am very grateful to know that I am not alone with my emotions and experiences of being a new mom!

As a family therapist and teacher, I thought I was quite prepared to become a mother. In reality, I was overwhelmed by the abrupt changes in my life after having a baby. This book addressed my concerns in a caring, supportive and nonjudgmental way. It discussed issues that I had difficulty verbalizing, and it normalized my early experiences of motherhood. This is my top pick for every new mother - it is my staple gift at every baby shower!

I cannot believe I had to endure the pregnancies and births of four children before someone wrote this book! The New Mom's Companion: Care for Yourself While You Care for Your Newborn is an amazing book that speaks directly to a new mom, and about practically ALL of the questions and dilemmas that a new mom has to endure! Wait, it really speaks to ANY mom! I have to admit that I quickly studied the "in-law" questions, to make sure I wasn't off my rocker for some of the concerns I had (and still have) about my ability to be a good mom, despite what the other side of our family thinks! The authors of The New Mom's Companion: Care for Yourself While You Care for Your Newborn have taken great care to respond to the many questions highlighted in this book, putting a positive light on some very emotional and misunderstood feelings of a new mom. We are pampered and doted on while we are pregnant, yet the minute the baby arrives, moms seem to lose their identity and their value. The New Mom's Companion: Care for Yourself While You Care for Your Newborn brings self-worth back to the woman, who just happens to be a mom!