Rating: Summary: This is an honest depiction of a marriage & infertility Review: A Little Pregnant is an honest depiction of one couples struggle to get pregnant. The many steps, the little successes and the many set backs that this couple go through provide a direct insight into what has become an all too common experience for many. What makes this book unique is that it looks at the struggle from both the perspective of the husband and the wife. It vividly describes the stress the process put on their marriage, how they dealt with this stress and ultimatly how they prevailed. We would highly recommend this book to anyone going through the infertility battle or anyone interested in the inner workings of a real marriage and partnership. It provides real hope for those wanting children as well as those working through the changes in any relationship. Read it.
Rating: Summary: This book gives me hope!!! Review: From the moment I started reading this book I could hardly put it down...needless to say, I read the whole thing in 2 days!! I loved the way the story was told from the female and male point of view with alternating chapters. I laughed with them and I cried with them. I felt a connection with these people. They give me much hope in my quest to have a baby!
Rating: Summary: Of interest Review: I disagree with the reviewer who thinks this book would not be helpful to those who suffer the devastating consequences of infertility. I think the authors demonstrate, with honesty and empathy, how infertility strains a marriage. Their willingness to talk publicly about issues that most couples hide from the outside world can only help to educate others about this medical condition. Yes, there is a fairy-tale ending: but along the way there is much heartbreak. Most of us will not find that happy ending, but we can learn much about the long journey toward acceptance by reading this account.
Rating: Summary: An infertility book that includes the husband equally Review: I've read so many books about this subject matter. This is one of the few where the man is included. The chapters trade points of view between the couple so it's nice to hear from the male side of this tough journey. The book is funny, sad, and honest. A great book for both members of a partnership struggling with the emotional rollercoaster of wishing so hard for a baby that it hurts.
Rating: Summary: An infertility book that includes the husband equally Review: I've read so many books about this subject matter. This is one of the few where the man is included. The chapters trade points of view between the couple so it's nice to hear from the male side of this tough journey. The book is funny, sad, and honest. A great book for both members of a partnership struggling with the emotional rollercoaster of wishing so hard for a baby that it hurts.
Rating: Summary: Do not buy this book; Do not read this book Review: If you are experiencing the heartbreak of infertility you may be tempted to seek out books (both fiction and non-fiction) on this subject. Some books are particularly rewarding or informative. This is not one of those books.Frankly, the book reads like a laundry list of procedures, meds and treatments. Those who are *not* experiencing infertility will not understand or be impressed by the attention to detail included in each chapter. Those who *are* infertile don't need to see their IF history immortalized in genuine naugahide binding. The authors take an inventive tack when they take turns narrating each chapter with overlapping accounts. Unfortunately, both authors get sidetracked and lose the purpose of the book by the fourth chapter. I found Ms. Carbone's infatuation with her reproductive endocrinologist particularly annoying and chock full 'o male-inspired stereotypes. (This begs the question: Is she really a "she" or is this some gender-bender nom de plume?) Mr. Decker's account of his counseling sessions was refreshing, but one gets the idea that he would gaze at his navel indefinately, if given half a chance. Further, this book gives the distinct impression that each person experiences infertility alone and completely independent of the other! We all *know* that when one person of a couple is infertile, it is a *couples* issue, not something that can or should be endured alone. I am not certain that Ms. Carbone and Mr. Decker were even living in the same house during their "struggle". Also, this book lends credence to the over-referenced urban myth that says you can get pregnant if you start adoption proceedings. Whether this is true for the authors or not, I certainly am disappointed that this book may breathe life into that tired old wive's tale, or, worse yet, give false hope to an already desperate infertile couple. Don't buy it; don't bother to read it; don't pass it on to a friend!
Rating: Summary: mandatory reading for those considering fertility treatments Review: The book is good for what it is: a description of how two supposedly intelligent people chose to put themselves through great physical and emotional pain because they wanted to make a baby. This book should be required reading for anyone considering fertility treatments. For every fertility treatment that works for one couple, there are many more disappointed would-be parents. People with strong emotional fixations about bearing their "own" child (rather than adopting) can easily mislead themselves about the costs -- financial, personal, relationship -- involved with fertility procedures. Unlike some other reviewers, I don't particularly admire this couple. They chose this path -- nobody forced them. Complaining is a cop-out that lets them blame others for the choices that they themselves made. "Buyer beware" applies to medical care as much as anything else.
Rating: Summary: An absorbing, beautifully written love story Review: This book is spectacular. I was bowled over by the execution and moved by the content. It reads like a beautifully written novel, with perfect rhythm and pacing. The structure appears effortless yet it's incredibly complex, as the authors weave threads of time back and forth and shift perspectives from one to another. Beyond the sheer artfulness of the writing, perhaps what is most impressive is the gutsiness of this book. The authors took a huge gamble and it paid off. The more open and courageous they were in telling this very harrowing saga, the more I found myself thinking, "God, these are two people I'd like to know. They are sensitive, smart, fascinating, and brave." I hope reviewers realize that what this book is, more than anything else really, is a not so simple love story. You don't have to be suffering from infertility to find it utterly compelling to read.
Rating: Summary: This is an honest depiction of a marriage & infertility Review: This book offers the view of the struggle of doing what is expected of a married couple, having a family. From pregnancy to invitro to adoption to pregnancy, both the husband and wife take turns sharing the roles that they play in each step.
Rating: Summary: A fly on the wall view of the reality of having a family Review: This book offers the view of the struggle of doing what is expected of a married couple, having a family. From pregnancy to invitro to adoption to pregnancy, both the husband and wife take turns sharing the roles that they play in each step.
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