Mothers of the Village

I was recently asked to read and review Mothers of the Village, and I am SO glad I was!  Being an author myself, it may surprise you that I’m not a huge pleasure reader.  Most of what I read is for knowledge. I’m such a busy-body, I rarely sit down and devour a book from cover to cover, but that’s exactly what I did with this book.  I seriously could not stop reading!  From page one I was hooked.  I loved the voice of the book and instantly found myself relating to the author’s personal struggles of early motherhood.  (I also found myself envying her ability to write every sentence perfectly!  I wish I had written so much of this book, lol!)

The message of the this book is so valuable.  Mothers need each other!  We all know this, but our culture makes it very difficult to work together as women used to.  But this book doesn’t just point out the problem.  It gives inspiring stories and examples of how we can be there for each other as a village of women who not only need each other, but look out for each other and find new ways to work together.

And not only do mothers need each other, our children need the love and concern of many adults.  This really jumped out at me as I haven’t considered that aspect of the village as much. (Sure, I knew I needed the help of other mothers, but my kids need their help, too!) This book has inspired me to put forth a greater effort into the lives of the children around me.

This book was the perfect combination of inspiring and intellectual.  The author was very well-researched, and I loved learning about the “tribes” of women from the past and from different parts of the world.  Though small, I thoroughly enjoyed the spiritual analogies the author brought to the book and the belief that drawing closer to God can also draw us closer to each other.  I appreciated her sharing her personal experiences with postpartum depression and ADHD, and how she taught me about being more vulnerable in my own life by being vulnerable in her writing. The author’s personal stories are definitely the highlight of this book, with many that will fill you with joy and heartache all at once.  (Page 160 broke my heart in the most beautiful way.)

The author encourages women to find meaningful ways to engage in society.  Chit chat and social media friendships will only partially fill that need.  As women, we are the builders of the village, and our lives will feel hollow if our work is not meaningful.  She also points out the benefits that all generations can reap if we reach out into our communities more.  It will require stepping out of our comfort zone, but it’s worth it!  This book teaches that society is a whole, so we need to work together to include every piece.

Buy this book for yourself.  Give a copy to your closest girlfriends.  Then give a copy to the new woman in your neighborhood, or the woman in your church congregation who has just given birth. Give her some tulips at the same time, and when she gets to that part of the book her heart will burst.