There is no denying it: motherhood splits a woman's life forever, into a before and an after. To this doubled life Lisa Catherine Harper brings a wealth of feeling and a wry sense of humor, a will to understand the emotional and biological transformations that motherhood entails, and a narrative gift that any reader will enjoy. Harper documents her own journey across this great divide as a seasoned explorer might, observing, researching, relating anecdotes and critical information. From late-night Lindy Hop dancing to crippling sciatica, morning sickness to indulgent meals, graduate seminars to sophisticated ultrasounds, Harper marries scientific details with intimate insights as she uncovers the fascinating strangeness of this remarkably familiar territory. Following Harper's first pregnancy from conception to her daughter's first word, A Double Life looks at how the biological facts of motherhood give rise to life-altering emotional and psychological changes. It shows us how motherhood transforms the female body, hijacks a woman's mind, and splits her life in two, creating an identity both brand new and as old as time. It charts the passage from individual to incubator, from pregnancy, labor, and nursing to language acquisition, from coupledom to the complex reality of family life. Harper's carefully researched story reminds us that motherhood's central joys are also its most essential transformations. Watch a book trailer.
Lisa Catherine Harper teaches in the MFA program at the University of San Francisco. She lives with her husband, an art director for feature animated films, and their two children in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Inside Conception Expecting Something from Nothing Signs and Symptoms Tested Public Life Pas de Deux My Phantom Self Song of the Self The Mind-Body Problem The Lives and Deaths of Mothers Room for One's Own Last Days Inside/Out Outside The Fourth Trimester Hatching Sea Change In the Dark Out of the Body An American Woman's Home Flying Home
Looks at how the biological facts of motherhood give rise to life-altering emotional and psychological changes.
"In A Double Life Lisa Catherine Harper delivers a complex, heartfelt exploration of pregnancy and motherhood. Smart, accessible, and emotionally compelling, it is part memoir, part manifesto - a riveting read for anyone who is a mother, or hopes to become one." - Michelle Richmond, author of The Year of Fog and No One You Know "For a lot of new fathers, there are two deep and inextricable mysteries: (1) All the confusing stuff that happens to your wife when she becomes a mother, and (2) All the boring books about stuff that happens to your wife when she becomes a mother. From this standpoint Lisa Catherine Harper's funny, honest, literate, and eye-opening memoir is an absolute godsend." - Jeff Gordinier, author of X Saves the World and editor-at-large of Details magazine "As an expectant mother, I would have welcomed such a book for its candor and information, which go far beyond what's offered in pregnancy and parenting guides; today, deep into my mothering, I find its reflections speak eloquently to me about those disorienting and wondrous early days." - Caroline Grant, coeditor of Mama, PhD and editor in chief of the online journal, Literary Mama "At once astutely observed and exemplarily researched, Lisa Catherine Harper's memoir is a graceful reminder that even the best planned pregnancy is ever a life-altering surprise." - Cristina Nehring, author of A Vindication of Love "A joy to read! This book should top any baby shower gift list or any new mother's stack of bedside books. It is not to be missed." - Kimberly Ford, author of Hump: True Tales of Sex after Kids "For the thinking parent or parent-to-be, there is nothing quite like it. It inspires, informs, and creates a space for grasping one's own place on the amazing journey of creation." - Lewis Buzbee, author of The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop
