A forthright, insightful, and empowering account of a difficult journey.
A birth mother recounts each stage of the adoption process in this debut memoir.
Baker was 21 years old when she discovered that she was pregnant. The conception of her son was a “college, one-time thing,” and the father’s first reaction to the news was that she should get an abortion. The author was also told by her mom that she “wouldn’t be a good mother.” Deciding against a late-term abortion, Baker began scouring adoption books for prospective parents—finally finding the “holy grail” of an adoptive parent living in California. The author recalls how she briefly relocated from Minnesota to Hollywood to live with her “son’s mother” during her pregnancy. She details the complexities of parting with her son after the birth and the subsequent feelings of loneliness and mourning that led her to alcohol and drug abuse. The uplifting book goes on to examine how Baker rebuilt her life with the intention of demonstrating that “open adoptions can be successful, even if they’re messy at times.” The most striking aspect of Baker’s writing is her directness. Not one to mince words, she writes of the adoption process: “Let me tell you, I was fucking broken. Over and over again, a little more every day.” She also outlines her actions with a selfless clarity: “I knew it was the right decision for my son’s life at the time, even if it didn’t feel best for mine. I did it for him.” The author’s frankness makes for powerful, engaging prose, particularly when she speaks directly to readers: “This shit hurts. Let it. Slowly, you can start to let light in little by little.” This characteristically blunt conversational style occasionally lacks descriptive flair: “The only way I can describe that time was that it was an utter shit show.” But this is more than compensated for by Baker’s contagious, positive attitude that encourages birth mothers to seek self-acceptance and stop perceiving themselves as “irrevocably broken” by stating boldly: “I’m still broken, but I see those cracks as opportunities.” Other books of this type tell of similar odysseys, but few exhibit the lucidity and conviction found here.
A forthright, insightful, and empowering account of a difficult journey.Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5445-0486-5
Page Count: 158
Publisher: Lioncrest Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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