Becoming a mother gave me a new awareness of all sorts of things in
life from the rate at which a baby’s nails grow to why feeding strained prunes while wearing linen is a bad idea. Soon my enlightenment extended to the political arena too, got me engaged in issues like paid maternity leave and environmental issues that affect children in particular.
I guess I’ve got a lot to say to those
grand poobahs up on Capitol Hill.
The Maternal is Political: Women at the Intersection of Motherhood and Social Change is a collection of essays edited by Shari McDonald Strong that explore the common challenges and questions faced by mothers. You’ll find a variety of voices from best-selling authors Barbara
Kingsolver and Anne Lamott, to the first Speaker of the House with a uterus,
Nancy Pelosi. The contributors and their viewpoints definitely lean to the
left, but don’t let that dissuade you if your personal political views
differ as mine sometimes do. The idea here is not to march in lockstep, but to
inspire deep thought and personal action, even if it’s just at home
with our own families.
We’re in the midst of a momentous political season. Maybe we’re
not all ready yet ready to devour the New York Times Op-Ed page every morning, but maybe if we put
down the summer trash long enough to check out this book and pen a letter
or two to our congressional reps, we can, as Ghandi said, be the change we want to see in the world. –Julie
