Even God Had Bad Parenting Days by Alicia J. Rabins is a heartfelt, funny, and poignant book that captures the complicated, joyous, sometimes difficult journey through early parenthood. A memoir in essays - honest, pithy and entertaining, each one packs a punch with insights both parents and those considering parenthood can incorporate into daily life, whether Jewish or not.
I had a chance to review the book, and even though my daughter had an issue with the title (how can a perfect God have a bad day) it is a fitting title - even a perfect God can get frustrated with children who don't listen.
The book is well-written. Each essay is a quick read and can provide a moment of inspiration for any mom. Although themes of faith do show up in the essays, and there are references to Jewish culture and tradition, the author does a great job of providing enough context for those who aren't Jewish, and faith issues are written broadly enough that those of any faith tradition (or none at all) will still be able to empathize with the parenting truth behind the essay. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it would be a great gift for people anywhere in their parenting journey.
Alicia Jo Rabins is a writer, musician, composer, performer and Torah teacher whose works explore the intersection of ancient wisdom texts with everyday life. Divinity School, her first book of poetry, was selected by C.D. Wright for the APR/Honickman First Book Prize; her last book, Fruit Geode, was featured in the New York Times New & Noteworthy section and became a National Jewish Book Award finalist. Her poems and personal essays have appeared in Ploughshares, Tin House, Tablet, and American Poetry Review, among others. She is also the creator and performer of A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff, an award-winning independent feature film, and Girls in Trouble, a song series and curriculum about the complicated lives of Biblical women. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two children.
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