The Mother Trip: Hip Mama's Guide to Staying Sane in the Chaos of Motherhood (Live Girls) by Ariel Gore

The Mother Trip: Hip Mama's Guide to Staying Sane in the Chaos of Motherhood (Live Girls) Reviews

• 
  Annarosepenny

  On loan from a fellow mama (baby connection), this book was sadly dated. The writer gave birth to her daughter at age 18, in the late 90s. She writes about the Lilith Fair, dying her hair pink, wearing combat boots, and taking out loans so that she could go to college and better herself. Her strength puts me to shame. But she smartly refers to Sylvia Plath, writing in the blue of dawn, because that was the only time to write, and through others who have found voice in Hip Mama, she inspires us to keep a sense of ourselves, and our creativity. She helps us embrace motherhood, makes us laugh, and speaks wisely about loving food (too late to turn back on it), and loving our curves. She reminds us that we are forever interruptible, adjusting to it, needing the interruptions from our thoughts. She dreams about having a day to herself, just as I was dreaming of this: what I would do! As her daughter is now older, someone commented, "So you're out of the woods." She remembers the chaos of those first raw years, and would come back to the woods just to hold her baby girl again...
  
  Some of her political rants are a bit much.
• 
  Lauryl

  Add this to the growing list of mom-moirs that I've been reading. This one has a lot of things to recommend it...Ariel Gore is frank and friendly and has a lot of good stories of impetuous youth to tell...the best part of this book was reading about her experience as a pregnant teenage delinquent living in a hovel in Italy. It's embarrassing to say but it seems sort of grungily glamorous to someone who got pregnant at twenty-nine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  I very much appreciate her pro-lady & pro-mama opinions, and it is helpful to feel that someone out there has your back. But part of me wished that this book was less advice and more story. I really wanted to hear more about her experiences as a mama and maybe a little less you-go-girl stuff. It's not that I don't appreciate someone telling me that I Go, but sometimes the mommy-power stuff was just a little more hackneyed, writing-style-wise, and less of a good read. Besides, after a while, as a new mom really does get tired of advice, even if it's good advice.
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  Karetchko

  I thought I would love this book when I started it. I mean, what other book on motherhood has a quote from Kristin Hersh (formerly of Throwing Muses) on the back cover? And there were some great bits at the beginning about the bad advice given to women at a time in life when their judgment is not the best, and how sucky that is. Another section towards the beginning, "children need interesting mothers," was also really worthwhile and thought-provoking. However, a lot of this book is more of a memoir of Ariel Gore raising her daughter, and I just kind of got tired of her somewhat-flaky voice the more that I read.
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  Timandra Whitecastle

  I‘ve read this book so often ... it’s been with me since nearly a decade of parenting now.
  
  The chapters are short and at times only loosely connected by the theme of the book. So at times I only go in to read those chapters I feel I need to hear again. Not this time. I re-read the whole book, and loved it once more.
• 
  H Adela

  This book saved my sanity through my preganancy and early parenting years!
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  Photokitten

  This was really awesome because this was the first time I felt "normal" as a parent after pondering this book. My band tees and big black boots made me shy away from all things "motherhood" and I felt a bit lost in the soccer mom world. THIS book comforted me on so many levels....including some of the feelings I was having. I really really really enjoyed and respect this book and this writer.
• 
  Denise

  It's nice to read about other moms who feel the same way I do, and what they did to handle things like depression. It's also good to hear one of the lines in the book. It goes something like: "Imagine the perfect mother... now look in the mirror. You are her. You are good enough for your child, and you are the best and only mother your child needs." It sounds better the way she wrote it, but you get the idea. :)
• 
  Jennifer

  Ah, the first book on parenting I ever read! I went through the text-book 5 stages of reacting to accidental pregnancy: Disbelief, elation, panic, panic, and panic. Ariel Gore's awesome funny book allowed me to indulge in the illusion that I would indeed be fine, that my kid would turn out awesome, and no I did not have to shelve the Manic Panic just yet.
  
  
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  Liz

  I LOVE THIS BOOK. Ariel Gore gives mothers permission to forgive themselves where society won't. The message: nobody's perfect, but very few mothers wile away the hours eating bon bons. Mothers all over the place are hard working regardless of their circumstances. And that's downright admirable.
• 
  cat

  poor troy - i went through a really, really long period of only reading books about being a mother, which i am sure was slightly frightening...however, i recommend this to any mothers and anyone who wants to support the mamas in their life...it's excellent!
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  Erica

  I picked up this book that has been sitting on the shelf for years now... and just couldn't help but read it again. I read it years ago, and even as my kids and I have grown it still has lots of things in it that hold true to me as a woman and a mother... I love it!
• 
  Karen Hausdoerffer

  Fun thoughts from outside the white picket fence mythology of motherhood and a good reminder not to let others presure you about what kind of parent you are. Plus, I enjoyed the political observations about legislation and women.
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  Jessica

  I always enjoy reading Ariel Gore's experiences as a mother. I can empathize with so much more, now that I am a single mom, too. Guiltless, fearless, and honest account of motherhood and all of the goods and bands.
• 
  Susannah

  
  
  She's different, she's geeky, she's immensely likeable and a quirky, happy voice. She's doing it her way and inspiring others to do the same, in her world it's clear that there are many different routes. Reassuring, I loved it.
• 
  Melissapughjensen Jensen

  The ONLY reason I can get up everyday and be the Mom I'm supposed to be...
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  Laurie

  I Love Ariel Gore!!!
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  Rebecca

  The first parenting book I read that didn't make me feel like I was completely insane. A real woman with real problems and fears, who admits motherhood is not 100% a blessing... but it mostly is.
• 
  Aubrey

  Yet another woman of wisdom writing about being a 'good enough' mother. The short chapters are almost meditations. Helpful reminders when mothering makes one crazy.
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  Casey

  This book changed the way I felt about myself as a mother and allowed me to let go of my need to be perfect and be seen as perfect by others.
  
• 
  Kati

  I was kind of meh. Probably would have liked it more if I'd read it as a younger parent. God knows, I loved hipmama back in the day.
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  Sarah &

  So far so good. It's interesting and it shows that you don't have to be a "perfect" mother. Just be who you are & know that you are a great mother.
• 
  Leah

  The Mother Trip: Hip Mama's Guide to Staying Sane in the Chaos of Motherhood (Live Girls) by Ariel Gore (2000)
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  Robin

  Very empowering. (Although I think I'm already empowered.) And lots o' laughs. Most moms should read at least one book written or edited by Gore -- she was ahead of her time.
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  Cristina

  I read this during a rebel parenting phase when I was changing a lot of diapers. I loved it. It was one of the only parenting books I could stomach.
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  S.E. Shurtleff

  So honest, it hurts and heals.