My Body Is A Big Fat Temple, Alena Dillon
My Body Is A Big Fat Temple, Alena Dillon
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My Body Is A Big Fat Temple
An Ordinary Story of Pregnancy and Early Motherhood

Author: Alena Dillon

Narrator: Rachel Perry

Unabridged: 7 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/12/2021


Synopsis

My Body Is A Big Fat Temple, a memoir of pregnancy and early motherhood, follows a writer as she debates having children, miscarries, faces morning sickness, uncertainty, physical impairments, labor, breastfeeding, the "baby blues," the heartache of not loving her son as she thinks she should, parenting through a plague, until finally (basically, mostly) blossoming into her new identity.

Creating life is a primal phenomenon. It requires grit, resilience, and a lot of bathroom breaks. There are dry heaves and darkened nipples, crotch lightning and brain fuzz, milk stains, sleep regressions, and equal amounts of despair and joy. It's a complicated magic. The undertaking is airbrushed to preserve the ideal of motherhood, and exacerbated by a culture that dictates what women can do and how they should feel. We don't get the full story, so mothers with unromantic experiences feel like aberrations, and worse, alone. This is why the voices of women matter. The voices of mothers matter. Here's one to remind you of the important things.

About Alena Dillon

Alena Dillon is the author of Mercy House, a Library Journal Best Book of 2020, which has been optioned for a CBS television series produced by Amy Schumer, and The Happiest Girl in the World. Her essays have appeared in many publications, including The Rumpus, Slice Magazine, LitHub, Bustle, and River Teeth. She teaches creative writing at St. Joseph's College and lives on the north shore of Boston with her husband, son, and dog.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Hannah

I can’t tell you enough how much I loved this memoir on pregnancy! It was raw, funny, emotional, relatable, and honest. I have said a thousand times “Why does no one talk about this?” (those miserable sides of pregnancy, childbirth, and that newborn period) and finally someone did! This memoir covers......more

Goodreads review by Zibby

This book is a touching, funny, and candid look at the undiscussed side of pregnancy — the challenges. From morning sickness to postpartum depression and everything in between, the book chronicles Dillon’s first two years with her child. Finally, a book about the actual rigors of being a new mom. Wh......more

Yes, yes, and yes! Everything I have ever wanted to express about pregnancy and motherhood is this book! Alena Dillon writes her experience and it is so real and true! I absolutely loved this! I have a very similar motherhood experience , so I was able to really relate to everything she says. I laug......more