It is rare to come across a book whose title comes in one word. Many books have titles and subtitles that are too many words. Many such books, in the hope of crafting an exciting title to captivate readers, end up just too long. However, there is one book on the market now of which the title is just one word, and it is powerful and sufficient.
MOTHERHOOD is a compilation by Jermaine Li Yuen of the sharing of 72 mothers describing their experiences of what motherhood is all about. Each sharing is brief and concise with a range from 200 to 300 words which makes easy reading.
This book is dedicated to all mothers and mothers-to-be. Jermaine believes that the real-life stories shared in this book can inspire, motivate and give hope to all mothers in their journey of motherhood. The book is well illustrated by Alison Lim, with each write-up with a family photo of the mother and her children converted into a photo illustration format.
The good thing about a photo illustration compared to the actual photo image is that it would not take the attention away from the write-up’s content. The calligraphed name of each mother at the end of the write-up is elegantly done by Gladys Yowono.
The book’s content is as attractive as its layout, illustration, and calligraphy. The sharing of the insights of each mother comes with varied experiences. As much as there are differences in their journey of motherhood, there is also the common joy, pain, thrill, and chaos experienced by each mother.
Having read this book I personally understand for the first time much clearer what motherhood is all about and the sacrifice a mother has to go through to bring a newborn to this world and nurture him or her with tender loving care all the way. This is certainly a valuable book worth reading every page.
The review of this book would not do any justice if I do not share an extract of a two-liner from the book shared by the mothers. It is certainly not easy to pick 5 from the 72 equally interesting ones. So, I chose them based on the 5 criteria on being dramatic, hilarious, meaningful, touching and inspiring.
Dramatic
“A journey of endless possibilities, like having your finger clipped in between the door hinge because your kid got excited and slammed the door while you were trying to grab some ointment to apply on his chest, and before you know it, you are lying on the hospital bed being dragged into the operating theatre because your finger tendon tore.”
-Jermaine Li Yuen, Co-Founder of The Ark and Arkmosphere, Mother of 3
Hilarious
“Motherhood is nights of breastfeeding while your 11 months old baby boy kicks you relentlessly at your caesarean wound as you suffer quietly in pain. Motherhood is watching your husband sleep and snore next to you as you enviously wish how good it is to be a man instead.”
– Mei Xin, Corporate Banker, Mother of 1
Meaningful
“Having a child is a gift from God and it is moments like this that you know somewhat God’s love and patience is with us. I thank God daily for this gift and what my son has taught me about motherhood, patience and humility.”
-Freda Lu, Broadcaster/Author/Emcee/Speaker, Mother of 1
Touching
“To me, motherhood is not about winning a popularity contest. If I had come across as a naggy mother, it is because my love knows no bounds. I remember whenever my children had a fever, I would nurse them throughout the night till they recovered. I will do whatever it takes to ensure their safety and well-being.”
– Juliet Bee, Marketing Director, Mother of 3
Inspiring
One day, a therapist told me something that changed my parenting approach. She said, “connect instead of correct”. Wow! Simple yet powerful. She explained that when spending time with our children, it is better to connect by talking and listening to them about everyday stuff rather than giving instructions and correcting their behaviour (e.g., constantly saying don’t shout, don’t run, don’t touch).
– Emelia Thiran, Artist & Art Educator, Mother of 2
The above two liners excerpts are too short and certainly have shortchanged the value of the full write-up and likewise for the other mothers’ sharing which are not extracted here. So, my recommendation: go get this book and read these great insights from these wonderful mothers.
I promise it will take you through the whole gamut of human emotions. This book is not just for mothers; in fact, everyone should read Motherhood to understand what a mother has to go through to bring all of us up and alive.
