My Body Created a Human
A Love Story
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
This graphic novel–style memoir about the weirdness and wonder of pregnancy and early motherhood is told with humor, frankness, and honesty. The perfect gift for new parents, parents-to-be, or anyone interested in the experience of bringing a new human into today's world.
Emma Ahlqvist's graphic memoir about the birth and early moments of raising her first child is a wry and resonant portrayal of both the challenges and excitement of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and embracing the experience of motherhood. Told through black-and-white drawings and short, frank captions, Ahlqvist considers everything from lactation woes to anxieties about late-stage capitalism and global warming, with drawings centered on the gendered division of labor, her efforts to maintain a professional and artistic life after having a baby, and the genuine rewards of bringing a child into the world.
Unflinching, relatable, and funny, My Body Created a Human portrays the stress and joys of parenthood—without the rose-colored glasses—and invites laughter, empathic nods, and exclamations of "You too?" Organized into thematic chapters like "Postpartum" and "A Mother and an Artist," Ahlqvist's drawings can be enjoyed all at once, or browsed and savored during late-night and early-morning wake-ups.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ahlqvist's debut collects tender ruminations on pregnancy and motherhood that are heartfelt but often slight, offering well-worn truisms drawn with scant black-and-white art and a sense of naivete. As a new mother, Ahlqvist dives headfirst into the visceral experiences of pregnancy, birth, nursing ("I'm made of food," she marvels), and raising a baby, straining to feel every moment to the fullest: "Thanks, body," she tells herself. "You're pretty great after all." Between the joys and stresses of motherhood, she worries about the future her baby will inherit, considers the environmental cost of bringing a new human being into the world, and struggles to split childcare duties equally with her partner. These moments and others are depicted in a series of one-panel illustrations with captions, like quickly jotted journal entries. The volume finds some moments of difficultly that clash with romantic expectations, as when Ahlqvist describes the early pain of breastfeeding, and flashes of humor, as when she draws milk squirting dramatically from her breasts. She also speaks with welcome honesty about terminating a previous pregnancy. But too often she has trouble developing novel takes on the subject, and the art seldom does more than loosely illustrate the sentiments. Parents navigating the anxieties of the modern world with children in tow will identify with Ahlqvist's reflections, but might find much of it only too familiar.
