by Edan Lepucki
First published 2020
New York Times bestselling novelist Edan Lepucki poses a simple question: Who was your mother before she became a mother? She gathers more than sixty original essays and cherished photographs from writers, poets, artists, and teachers to answer it. Contributors including Brit Bennett, Jennifer Egan, Angela Garbes, Annabeth Gish, Alison Roman, Lisa See, Danzy Senna, Dana Spiotta, and Jia Tolentino share images and stories that reveal women's lives with vulnerability and honesty. The pieces range from funny to sad, but all prove deeply moving as they uncover the complex people mothers were before children changed everything. This collection offers readers intimate portraits of women in their full humanity, beyond their roles as caregivers and nurturers.
Genres: family, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
176 pages · Hardcover · Abrams Image