Mother's Day is just around the corner, and what better way to express love and gratitude for the mothers in our lives than with a carefully chosen book? Whether it's for your mother, grandmother, or a motherly figure who has played a significant role in your life, a book is a gift that can be cherished for years to come. Below are our recommendations of meaningful books that celebrate the joys and recognize the challenges of motherhood, offering inspiration, comfort, and wisdom to the mothers, grandmothers, and mothers-to-be who have shaped us into who we are today.
Few women artists feature prominently in the history of art, and even fewer who are mothers. Are motherhood and creativity at odds, or are other factors at play? The Mother Artist twines intimate meditations on motherhood with portraits of the work, lives, and studios of mother artists, placing us in the company of women from the past and the present who persevere in both art and caregiving.
Shelia Burlock, Sylvia Burlock, Melissa Burlock
Learn how to love and care for your natural hair spiritually and practically. Uplifting and authentic, My Divine Natural Hair helps Black women embrace the God-created beauty of natural hair through inspirational readings and salon chair guidance on how to heal, consistently care for, and grow their coils.
Ordinary Blessings for Parents
Those of us who care for children know how hard and heroic caring for young people can be. But when we're caught up in the day-to-day challenges of raising children, we can easily miss the sanctity of these moments. Gifted poet, empathetic pastor, and mom of three Meta Herrick Carlson names the moments we take for granted or that make us second-guess ourselves. Ordinary Blessings for Parents includes blessings for washing bottles, for belly laughs, for the death of a beloved adult, and for the legacy we want to pass on.
Marilyn McEntyre, Shirley Showalter
Loving our children's children well is an art—one we keep learning as they grow. Making memories and fostering relationships with our grandchildren in the midst of a fast-moving culture isn't easy, and a legacy that lasts isn't crafted overnight. Through inspired ideas teamed with simple practices and engaging stories, The Mindful Grandparent serves as your guide and source of refuge for the sacred and sometimes bewildering work of grandparenting.
Despite medical advances over the last twenty years, for Black women the overwhelming dangers of carrying and delivering children remain, and it only seems to be getting worse. In Pregnant While Black, Dr. Monique Rainford begins the work of "repairing the damage of the past" with an examination of the conditions that plague Black pregnancies. This important book carries the hopes and dreams of a generation looking to effect change, here and now.
Alcohol isn't going to fix the systemic lack of support for mothers. Mommy Wine Culture is a symptom of a larger issue: the mental load of motherhood and a systemic lack of support for moms. Mixing research, cultural references, interviews, and the author's sobriety story, It's Not about the Wine reveals what's really plaguing mothers and offers tangible tips for evaluating your relationship to alcohol and lightening your load.
Nothing in Shannon Harris's secular upbringing prepared her to enter the world of conservative Christianity. Soon her husband's bestselling book I Kissed Dating Goodbye helped inspire a national purity movement, and Shannon's identity became "pastor's wife." The Woman They Wanted recounts the remarkable story of her courtship with Joshua Harris, her grappling with conservative Christianity's patriarchy and narrow definition of womanhood, and her journey to break free and reclaim a more authentic version of herself.
Pregnancy isn't just a physical transformation; an emotional and spiritual journey is also taking place. You're becoming a mother. In Expecting Wonder, Brittany L. Bergman explores this identity transformation with wit and grace, offering a heart-level guidebook for women in the season of pregnancy.
Every year more American women become stepmothers, just as Dorothy Bass did. In Stepmother, Bass explores the complicated, and oft-maligned, role. Brimming with practical insights from sociology, history, and clinical studies, Stepmother points readers to the central necessary work—the work done in our own heart—so we can find grace and peace.
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