Published: February 26th, 2019 by First Second
Genre: Graphic memoir
Format: ARC
Source: Gift
Goodreads
🌟🌟🌟
If you work hard enough, if you want it enough, if you’re smart and talented and “good enough,” you can do anything.
Except get pregnant.
Her whole life, Lucy Knisley wanted to be a mother. But when it was finally the perfect time, conceiving turned out to be harder than anything she’d ever attempted. Fertility problems were followed by miscarriages, and her eventual successful pregnancy plagued by health issues, up to a dramatic, near-death experience during labor and delivery.
This moving, hilarious, and surprisingly informative memoir not only follows Lucy’s personal transition into motherhood but also illustrates the history and science of reproductive health from all angles, including curious facts and inspiring (and notorious) figures in medicine and midwifery. Whether you’ve got kids, want them, or want nothing to do with them, there’s something in this graphic memoir to open your mind and heart.
I saw this while scouring titles on NetGalley and I knew immediately that I wanted to read it. I had my own struggle conceiving before I had Rosie and I feel like even if I hadn't, I'm still so interested in other parents' stories.
Unfortunately I wasn't as blown away by Kid Gloves as I thought I would be. By all accounts, people really enjoy Knisley's books, and I did enjoy this, but it wasn't amazing for me. It was incredibly informative, though. I learned a lot about the history of women's reproductive health. I also enjoyed the art style, which is enough reason for me to go ahead and check out this author's other books. I found a lot of the content to be relatable, particularly the arduous battle to find the right birth control, and the weird, changing relationship you have with your body as you go through the process of trying to become pregnant, finally becoming pregnant, and then having your baby.
There was one moment in this book that really stuck with me, more than anything else. After Knisley experienced a miscarriage, she entered into therapy. Her therapist told her to treat herself with kid gloves. Knisley had been through a lot by that point, and her therapist intructed her to treat herself with the same gentleness she'd treat a child. I'm going through hell right now, and I was when I was reading this book. This message was something I really, really needed to hear and this book delivered it to me at the exact right moment.
In spite of all that, I was still a bit let down. I expected more. Whether that was more of the emotional side of things, more of the medical side of her experiences, or more of the scientific information about reproduction, that doesn't matter. But the book tackled all of those things and it's very short. There simply wasn't enough space given to adequately address each topic. We just got a taste of each thing, but not enough meat.
That said, I think it's still an enjoyable read for anyone who is a parent and even for those who'd like to become a parent some day. Of course if you find miscarriages to be triggering, I'd stay far away from this. But it had a great balance of heart and humor and information.
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