Mother Less Child

This book kept me riveted from the first page to the last. Jacquelyn Mitchard's true story of infertility and adoption are so personal, that at times I felt guilty reading parts of it. She bares her soul and it makes for a fascinating read. Even if you've never had a problem getting pregnant,she writes about so many other facets of her life, marital trouble, step-daughter, relationships with her father and brother etc. I felt like I was reading someone's private journal. A very interesting journal. It was fascinating reading how Ms Mitchard reacted to events she couldn't control. Since this book was published very early in her career, I wondered if she regretted her candor, years after it was published.

"Jack" as she's called by her husband, is a one woman dynamo exposing her soul in the most private and gut-wrenching of times. Through her writing we see the world from the eyes of the bereaved - even though it was just a "fetus" that was lost - as one of her relatives callously put it. Grieving is grieving and Mitchard exposes the follies of both those who suffer, those who live with them and the industry built up around such people, as well as the heart-ache that is liberally spread around. Heart-ache that may be felt, but not necessarily talked about. A real eye-opener.

After discovering "Dispatches From the Mother Ship" quite by accident (and loving it) I searched out any book by this author. I didn't expect a memoir that was so emotional and compelling. At times so desparate- but it has a hopeful ending.