It. Goes. So. Fast.
The Year of No Do-Overs
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4.0 • 47 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
An Instant New York Times Bestseller
“This voice-driven, relatable, heartfelt and emotional story will make any parent tear up.”
—Good Morning America, “15 Delightful Books Perfect for Spring Reading”
Operating Instructions meets Glennon Doyle in this new book by famed NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly that is destined to become a classic—about the year before her son goes to college—and the joys, losses and surprises that happen along the way.
The time for do-overs is over.
Ever since she became a parent, Mary Louise Kelly has said “next year.” Next year will be the year she makes it to her son James’s soccer games (which are on weekdays at 4 p.m., right when she is on the air on NPR’s All Things Considered, talking to millions of listeners). Drive carpool for her son Alexander? Not if she wants to do that story about Ukraine and interview the secretary of state. Like millions of parents who wrestle with raising children while pursuing a career, she has never been cavalier about these decisions. The bargain she has always made with herself is this: this time I’ll get on the plane, and next year I’ll find a way to be there for the mom stuff.
Well, James and Alexander are now seventeen and fifteen, and a realization has overtaken Mary Louise: her older son will be leaving soon for college. There used to be years to make good on her promises; now, there are months, weeks, minutes. And with the devastating death of her beloved father, Mary Louise is facing act three of her life head-on.
Mary Louise is coming to grips with the reality every parent faces. Childhood has a definite expiration date. You have only so many years with your kids before they leave your house to build their own lives. It’s what every parent is supposed to want, what they raise their children to do. But it is bittersweet. Mary Louise is also dealing with the realities of having aging parents. This pivotal time brings with it the enormous questions of what you did right and what you did wrong.
This chronicle of her eldest child’s final year at home, of losing her father, as well as other curve balls thrown at her, is not a definitive answer―not for herself and certainly not for any other parent. But her questions, her issues, will resonate with every parent. And, yes, especially with mothers, who are judged more harshly by society and, more important, judge themselves more harshly. What would she do if she had to decide all over again?
Mary Louise’s thoughts as she faces the coming year will speak to anyone who has ever cared about a child or a parent. It. Goes. So. Fast. is honest, funny, poignant, revelatory, and immensely relatable.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this touching memoir, Kelly (The Bullet), cohost of NPR's All Things Considered, meditates on her complicated emotions during her oldest son's senior year of high school. Lamenting the soccer games she missed because of her job, Kelly decided to record her reflections on the months leading up to the graduation of her son James in the hope that doing so would allow her to "show up and be present." In addition to the expected accounts of going on college trips and preparing James for prom, Kelly describes juggling her reporting and parenting, recounting how she learned James had Covid while she was covering a speech from President Biden and how she turned down her editor's request that she travel to Ukraine to report on the war so she could instead spend more time with her son before he left for college. This showcases Kelly's knack for connecting with audiences through snappy prose and affecting candor, and she beautifully captures the chaos and pathos of parenting, as when she writes of her son, "Our bond has changed and stretched and been tested, sometimes sorely tested, over eighteen years. But perhaps the pain was the cracking of the walls as the room grew." Parents will cherish this.
Customer Reviews
Good read. A Perspective from a Career Oriented Person
I enjoyed reading her experiences and stories throughout the years as a journalist and a mother.
My initial thought was that majority of the stories will be more related to how she raised her children but was oddly surprised that her priorities actually aligned more with her career and what fulfilled her life. It’s good to know that it is possible to do both and to give a realization that you will miss a lot but it’s ok because that’s life.
Fantastic read
This is a moving memoir that should touch the heart of every working mom out there. Great work stories, too! The person that gave it one star must not understand. I could not put this down. I’ve raised three boys and this book will remain in my heart forever. Please keep writing!
Compelling and relatable
When I like a story, maybe the style or characters but it has some faults like grammar, I read it quickly. This book slowed me down. Allowed me to savor it. Reflect on the similarities in our lives, and learn things about journalism I never knew. Kelly and I have some things in common - my only son went off to college not too long ago but I am reminded of the feelings when we first dropped him at school and every time he comes home to visit before returning to school. Thank you.