By Tania Elfersy & Andrea Katzman.
Sex and the new mother: the ultimate Catch 22. While it may be the one thing your body doesn’t miss in those first months (or more!), it is definitely something that troubles us with guilt, frustration and self-judgement. But when these feelings are at their peak, so is our lack of time to do anything about it.
A charming answer that any mother would love is Purple Leaves, Red Cherries: A Gift for Mothers with Short Stories, Journal & Toolkit. Some 50 super-short tales or ponderings about the truest moments of early mothering are perfectly presented to the woman who has no time for reading but bottomless need for support and advice. Anyone who has ever been there will read and cheer.
There is actually only one section of sex, which is only 4 stories, but quite wisely, they cover most of the central issues: body image, pain, low libido and sexlessness. But so many of the other tales refer to sexuality, advertently or inadvertently. Because ultimately, everything relates to our sexuality.
So here is a wonderful resource, organized in byte-sized portions, which doesn’t appear as a sexual resource, but as an attractive gift book. It is by no means a full guide to sexual recovery, but it is a a great start to coping with the frustration that comes along with with becoming parents, and then with each and every new additional child.
The only downside of this otherwise enchanting book is that it feels too quick. On a good day, a reader could flick through the whole book in a short time and just want more! Then again, the beautiful graphic and the option to write your own stories as you go along, makes it a easy reread.
Features
- Edited by two mothers
- Ultra-short stories by mothers and grandmothers
- Illustrated by Nomi Melul Ohad
- Hardcover
- Pages for personal additions
- Tips for writing and coping
- Winner of Indie Excellence Book Award
- Beautifully illustrated
- Excellent resource for new mothers
- Also available in Hebrew
- 175 pages (including blank pages)
Publisher
Flower Cap Press, 2011