frances_frances's reviews
288 reviews

I really appreciate Oster's approach to medical and bodily decision making. The info in this book was way more helpful than most other pregnancy resources I've encountered. As a person, I don't connect with Oster and think we probably wouldn't agree on much. Her gendered language and cheesy jokes were annoying but it was worth the read since it was so well researched and easily digestible.

It's always, always exciting and refreshing to see authentic queer characters and relationships. I appreciate that each of the main four friends have realistically complex lives with realistically complex issues. But I wish that either all four characters got equal attention or that the book focused more on one specific character. As it was, the balance felt off, with Chris and Elise getting the most air time, Jo getting some, and Alex only really being relevant in relation to the other three friends. I was thinking about the book Wash Day Diaries (another graphic novel about modern friendship) and how its authors give each character space in a way that felt rather effortless. 

While I enjoyed Mimosa's authentic representations of the ups and downs of friendship, I was left feeling a bit confused at the end. What was the take away supposed to be? That sometimes we're shitty assholes to each other but whatever, that's just life? There was some nuance for Chris and Elise's relationship but much less so for Jo and Alex. I didn't need their conflict to be resolved, but I wanted their issues to be unpacked and processed a bit more. That felt like a missed opportunity.

I do wish there was at least one main character who's story didn't largely revolve around sex and intimate relationships. I'm on the ace spectrum and also very much identify with queerness. While it's great to see depictions of queer love, sex, intimacy, and embodiment, I'm always hungry for stories that center other aspects of queer culture and identity. I suppose the focus on the platonic friendships of the four main characters does this but still, many if not most of their conversations are about sex and/or romantic intimacy. 

Despite its flaws, this book is definitely worth a read. The illustrations are engaging and detailed. The characters are compelling. Queer parenthood is represented! Mimosa has a lot going for it and even though it didn't completely satisfy me, I'd recommend it to other readers.

This book was comforting, fortifying, and thought-provoking. It's a holistic guide to pregnancy, labor, birth, and new parenthood. It's both evidence based AND rooted in lived experience. This approach really speaks to me and overall, this book is the most comprehensive, nonjudgmental pregnancy/birth resource I've yet encountered. 

I appreciate the non-gendered language, the inclusion of illustrations of nonwhite babies and birthing people, and the consistent calling out of Western (ie white) culture and it's reductionist manner of operating. And this book doesn't favor any one type of birth over another. It treats pain medication, midwives, and cesarean births with equal   respect and validity. Highly recommend, especially for queer parents!

This book isn't perfect. There were several times I wanted Garbes to go deeper and challenge herself a bit more. I wish there was more meaningful discussions of parenting while disabled and raising disabled children. I wish Garbes talked more about action, not just theory. I wish she more meaningfully discussed resource disparity and the ways in which community-building can be inaccessible to those living in poverty and spending every available moment simply trying to survive. 

All that being said, I enjoyed hearing about Garbes's personal history and growth. And I think this book could serve as an entry point for readers unfamiliar with anti-capitalist politics or the politics of care work. The language is accessible and she references some great BIPoC scholars and activists that hopefully will inspire further reading, learning, and unlearning.