There was a moment in time when I didn’t quite understand why people decide to share their stories in so many personal details. I thought – why would someone want to expose to the bare bones to random strangers? Then it dawned on me – they are not doing it for themselves or, rather, they are not doing it only for themselves. They are doing it for the benefit of others.
That said, having and raising children is a deeply personal story. No one can truly live the life of another and feel it in the same way. That is why it is difficult to share on such a touchy subject. At the same time, challenges with pregnancy, fertility, and offspring are common for many parents.
Precisely because almost no one likes to meddle into people’s intimate affairs, we rarely see the real struggle and joy behind becoming or not becoming a parent.
This book is something else.
Nicki Fenthum offers the gift of an amazing personal story told with candor and shared with bravery. Although people interested in having children might have the greatest benefit from “The Inconceivable Truth: A Gutsy Memoir about Defining and Surviving Childless Womanhood in the 21st Century,” I believe aspiring mothers-to-be would get the most nutritious meat and potatoes from this book.
I don’t want to tell you much about Nicki’s story because I would produce spoilers. And although this is not a fiction book but a memoir, I think the impact of the message will be lost if you know the turn of events upfront.
Why do you need to read this book? Above all, because it will give you a first-person experience of female fertility, a highly personal and intimate issue about which many mothers and fathers don’t like sharing much.
Having difficulties with conceiving can be traumatic. Sometimes, overt sharing can increase rather than heal the trauma. Here we see a different approach – someone who bares it all – the light and the dark stuff.
Nicki Fenthum opens ups to the world not only from her role of a mother, but also as a wholesome human being that is a lover, a creator, a friend, a wife, a businesswoman, and, first and foremost, a vulnerable human soul with an inspirational will for life.
She touches the highs and the lows of human existence and approaches each life challenge with an incredible zest for life – she has the same unwavering ambition for her personal, as well as for her professional life.
The author speaks with honesty about her desire for control, violent traits, and dark emotional places. She reveals her strengths and weaknesses, and her passions and ambition.
You will get to learn about the effect of the city you live in on your physical health. Get ready for a lot of priceless details about what it is like to struggle with motherhood after you reach the age of forty.
There are plenty of things that your doctors might not tell you. And Nicki will tell you about all of them in full, in a beautiful exploration of what it means to live in the grey areas of life and what motherhood is all about.
The issue of children is complex – we all know it is personal yet it touches upon the social matrix.
This book might help you find your stance about children in the brevity of a lifetime when facing multiple conflicting opinions and advice from family, friends, and doctors.
It is a truly admiring memoir with a great example of how to use retrospection and self-reflection to gain valuable life lessons.
Stories about Dogs and People 