Mother's Day can be an emotionally fraught time for a lot of people. Whether that’s due to a loss, a challenging fertility journey, your own difficult upbringing, or any other reason, if you dread this time of year, here’s a range of books that deal with the more complex parts of motherhood, to help provide solidarity and comfort to those who need it.
For people who have suffered a miscarriage…
Hard to Bear
Isabelle Oderberg
Every year miscarriage affects up to 150,000 Australians and the people that love them. In Hard to Bear, journalist Isabelle Oderberg combines in-depth investigation with practical and generous suggestions from hundreds of people with lived experience of miscarriage, to chart a course towards improving the system and changing the lives of anyone directly or indirectly touched by early pregnancy loss.
For people who have lost their mothers…
Plot Twist
Jana Firestone
In Plot Twist, therapist and podcaster Jana Firestone shares her experience of losing her mum suddenly at the age of twenty-one, applying a warm and practical therapist's lens to learning how to survive and eventually thrive during the most challenging days of our lives. Firestone has spent years providing professional counselling to her clients during their darkest days; but in bearing witness to outpourings of grief, loss and pain on a daily basis, she also experienced and observed remarkable resilience, transformation and hope.
For people who are mothering without support…
Mothering on Our Own
Rachel Maksimovic
Whether by circumstance or choice, solo and single parenting is a long – and often isolating – road, but there is so much wisdom to be learned from others. From managing co-parenting to juggling work and caring for children, to escaping abusive relationships, these 30 stories from from single and solo mothers encapsulate the resilience, courage, boundless love and unwavering spirit of mums, and explore the journey of overcoming societal stigmas to find community and work out who you are on your own.
For people who worry they're messing it all up…
Raising a Happier Mother
Anna Mathur
A reassuring, empowering guide to understanding feelings of failure in motherhood, Raising a Happier Mother unpicks the myth of perfect motherhood and reframes what 'a good mother' looks like. Dismantling how mums come to set impossible expectations of themselves, the book offers evidence-based therapy guidance and tackles taboo subjects such as maternal rage and intrusive thoughts in depth and detail.
For people who have a toxic relationship with their mother…
Raised by Narcissists
Dr Sarah Davies
In Raised By Narcissists, counselling psychologist Dr Sarah Davies offers practical, realistic advice on how to heal from the trauma and toxicity of a narcissistic parent. Drawing on case studies from her own practice, as well as her personal experience, Raised by Narcissists will teach you how to acknowledge and begin to heal from the difficult experience of narcissistic parental abuse, reclaim your experience and move on to build a better future.
For people who are involuntarily childless…
Childless
Sian Prior
After multiple miscarriages and failed rounds of IVF, Sian Prior found herself, at fifty, childless and coming to terms with it. Compelling and raw, beautifully written and unexpectedly uplifting, Childless is a deeply personal memoir about Prior's pursuit of parenthood and an examination of love and loss.
For people who are voluntarily childfree…
Women Without Kids
Ruby Warrington
In Women Without Kids, journalist Ruby Warrington explores the natural consequence of women having more say about the choices we make and how our lives play out. Taking in themes from intergenerational healing to feminism to environmentalism, this book is a timely reframing of what it means to be childfree, and how to live without regret, shame, or compromise.
For people who have had an abortion…
Tissue
Madison Griffiths
In Tissue, Madison Gibson explores the many facets of abortion, including how the world-at-large responds, feelings of guilt around choice, the language we use (or don’t), and how the silence shapes the way we think and feel about a procedure that is common yet vilified, championed yet sometimes grieved. At a time when women around the world are losing their right to access safe abortion, this book is needed more than ever.
For people going through IVF…
Two-Week Wait
Luke Jackson & Kelly Jackson
An elegant and heartfelt graphic novel about the IVF process, Two-Week Wait was inspired by the real-life experiences of authors Luke and Kelly Jackson. From the first tentative steps towards actively trying for a baby, to the gamut of procedures you have to endure before you even get sent home with a freezer bag full of hormones, Two-Week Wait provides an intimate account of trying to fall pregnant with the help of science.
For people who are uncomfortable with the label 'mother'…
You'll Be a Wonderful Parent
Jasper Peach
Becoming a parent is a challenging time that can be exacerbated if you don’t see yourself reflected in mainstream parenting resources, culture or even language. This beautifully illustrated book provides inclusive advice on everything from to dealing with other’s definitions of your family, to finding the right medical care and communities, and of course making sure that you take a lot of naps before the baby is born.
For people who have lost a child…
Hope
Rosie Batty
Following on from A Mother's Story, which detailed the lead up to her son's murder, Hope shares what happened to Rosie Batty the day after the worst day of her life, and how she reclaimed hope when all hope was lost. She shares her struggles with anxiety, PTSD, self-doubt and self-loathing and how she finally confronted her grief. She shares the stories of those who have inspired her to keep going, and given her hope when she needed it most.
