The Hip Mama Survival Guide: Advice from the Trenches on Pregnancy, Childbirth, Cool Names, Clueless Doctors, Potty Training, and Toddler Avengers - Softcover

Gore, Ariel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786882328 ISBN 13: 9780786882328

Publisher: Hachette Books, 1998

Synopsis

"The Gen-X Dr. Spock" and the founder of Hip Mama: The Parenting 'Zine gives readers advice from the trenches on pregnancy, childbirth, cool names, clueless doctors, potty training, domestic mayhem, right-wing losers, the evil patriarchy, nervous breakdowns, and way more. Line drawings.

About this title

Review:

Can a mother nurse after nipple piercing? Is it okay to name a child after a beverage? What's the best music to divorce by? Ariel Gore answers these and other tough questions in her hilarious and highly informative guide to pregnancy and early parenting, The Hip Mama Survival Guide. Gore gave birth to her daughter, Maia, at age 19, raised her on welfare while getting a college degree, and went on to create her own zine and Web site (and now, a parenting guide) devoted to non-nuclear-family moms everywhere. Gore's book uses straight-from-the-trenches experience, friendly encouragement, and a hearty dose of humor while covering the basics for mamas who may not have the comforts or privileges (like generous health insurance or state-of-the-art strollers) many traditional baby-care manuals presume to be accessible. Chapters include "Childbirth Sucks," "Beauty and the Gender Beast," "Poverty Without Despair," and "Guerrilla Mothering," and cover topics as diverse as nutrition, trimester development, circumcision, custody battles, domestic violence, co-parenting, political activism, working moms, and nervous breakdowns. Gore does not hide her feisty, liberal political bent, and she devotes a whole section to skewering the conservative right's vision of "family values." Each chapter ends with interview answers and advice from "rebel moms," ranging from Gore's friends to famous feminists like Mary Kay Blakely and Susie Bright. While Gore's advice may ring especially true for young single moms, her funny, realistic approach to mothering will show mamas of all races, ages, and means that hipness is well within their reach. --Brangien Davis

About the Author:

Ariel Gore is the founder and publisher of Hip Mama, a parenting zine with attitude. She regularly lectures on the culture and politics of motherhood, and she has appeared on CNN, MTV, CBC Evening News, and NPR. She and her daughter Maia live in Oakland, California.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0786882328
• ISBN 13: 9780786882328
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288