Ain’t That a Mother: Postpartum, Palsy, and Everything in Between

Nelson (an Afro-Latina writer specializing in diversity, disability, and inclusion) writes a down-to-earth parenting memoir about raising a child with high medical needs. Among the other personal experiences her memoir discusses are racism, postpartum depression, miscarriage, emotional abuse, issues of self-worth, poverty, attempted suicide, infidelity, divorce, and sexual assault. Nelson is also the author of a children’s book, Meet ClaraBelle Blue, which she says aimed to fill a gap in representation of Afro-Latinx kids with disability, and her memoir reads like a novel (at times colorful in its language) that checks all the boxes, full of struggle, laughter, and tears. Nelson’s book, more of a reflective work than a parenting manual, shines in giving voice to the experiences of so many mothers in the United States, and the author finds her strength in relating to readers dealing with their own struggles.