Striving for the Purple Heart : Mothers in the Universal Pursuit of Honor

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I absolutely loved, "Striving For the Purple Heart" by Kim Quinn Smith. Reading the chapters of Smith's poignant, generous, and very humorous book was better than any trip to the therapist's office a stressed-out mom could ever take. Not only is she uproariously funny, as she recounts her first birth experience as being so painful that she wanted to be taken out to the woods and shot to end the pain, but it also provides very simple and uncomplicated ways to help moms take care of themselves and in turn do a better job of mothering.
This book illuminates the guilt that almost every mother feels. They feel guilty if they stay home if they go back to work if they are single or if their kid has special needs. Smith, as a mother of five, tries to show the mothers of the world, that we can never do enough and at the end of the day, our best has to be good enough. There is also a strong emphasis in this book that there is no 'perfect' mother and that striving to be only leaves you feeling depleted, unable to be of much use to yourself or your children. It is a great book for any mother, mother-to-be, to have by her bedside when the motherhood blues have reared their ugly heads. Smith is genuine, insightful, and the women she has interviewed recount tales that we can all, in some way or another, as mothers, relate to. I look forward to her next book and will be giving this book to all of my girlfriends.

Rating:
Summary: Not my Cup of Tea!
Review: I ordered Striving For The Purple Heart at the
suggestion of a friend, and I am truly glad that I did. Smith speaks to the
fact that often motherhood feels like a set up to fail...no matter what you
do, your best never feels good enough. The chapter on childbirth was
hilarious. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. But, I think the point that was the most helpful to me was that by
"choosing your battles" and asking yourself, "just how important is this?"
you can begin to destress your homelife and take much better care of
yourself, which is the best gift you can give your kids. I plan to give
this book as my baby gift to all new mothers. Diane from Danbury, Ct.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book For All Mothers and Mothers To Be!
Review: I ordered Striving For The Purple Heart at the
suggestion of a friend, and I am truly glad that I did. Smith speaks to the
fact that often motherhood feels like a set up to fail...no matter what you
do, your best never feels good enough. The chapter on childbirth was
hilarious. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. But, I think the point that was the most helpful to me was that by
"choosing your battles" and asking yourself, "just how important is this?"
you can begin to destress your homelife and take much better care of
yourself, which is the best gift you can give your kids. I plan to give
this book as my baby gift to all new mothers. Diane from Danbury, Ct.

Rating:
Summary: Cup of Tea is totally Wrong
Review: The person who wrote the heading "Not My cup of Tea" is totally wrong about this book.. I have seen other reviews by this person and she states the same about this particular author - sounds more like a grudge than a critical analysis of the author's books. Notice no name. However, the book is excellent and is HIGHLY recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Try it--you'll like it!!
Review: This book was an obvious labor of love and experience. Not only Smith's experience but that of many women(mothers). I found this breadth of experience and emotions to be enlightening, entertaining and in many ways unique. Smith's writing style is fast paced, light and fun and allows the reader enough time to reflect without becoming stale.
A bit of editorial insight may have been helpful in some spots, but overall, the book works well.