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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Some essays I really enjoyed, others not so much. As a new mom this is relatable and is nice to read others going through the same stuff you are
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Meh. There were definitely some funny GenX moments in this book, and I would have loved to read more on midlife (hair loss is normal!) than about her -unrelatable to me - experience of parenting; her disconnect and excuses for everything she didn't know was distracting. Having said that, I really enjoyed the Bad News chapter. Very relatable.
I hope this book is inspiring and encouraging to readers. At first I struggled because it felt like there was no resolution to any of the things Klein wrestled with. And then, when she talked about hiring a night nurse in addition to her nanny, it clicked for me: this books feels to me like she is trying to validate herself. She doesn’t offer hope or encouragement to her readers. And she says things like how proud she is to have raised such a nice boy, but her kid was 4 at the time of her writing the essay. He was (is) still little when she wrote this, so she doesn’t have any expertise except her own truth. I’ve concluded that while the majority of us (or maybe just me) desperately try to find real-life validation, affirmation, and encouragement as new mothers through relationships and things like mom groups or play dates, this woman pursues these things through hiring help and writing. I am not criticizing her at all for this, nor am I saying it’s not valid; this gave me a better perspective on finishing the book, although I almost stopped multiple times. I enjoy her personality and writing style, and I appreciate her experiences, but the book just kind of depressed me. And I hope I’m the exception.
4.5. I needed this for some introspection on my own life. Also I was v funny
This book was not for me, even though I’d guess I’m the target audience (early 40s mothers with young children!). I thought her use of the hero’s journey to describe motherhood was compelling, but it needed to be more deeply integrated into the essays. In general the essays felt a little one-note and I was hoping for more nuance esp on the transition to motherhood. Plus the essay where she talks about peeling dead skin off her feet and leaving it in a pile on the rug to vacuum later was just too
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.
I personally am not familiar with Klein, but I thought the description of her book sounded interesting when I was looking through my library’s catalog. I’m not a mother, but I always love to check out books that can help me expand my ability to empathize. While some essays were much stronger and more emotional than others, I’ll Show Myself Out, for the most part, left much to be desired.
Klein had moments where she encapsulated the tender experience of motherhood, growing older, and rediscovering oneself in a really sweet and funny way. Even as somebody who doesn’t have children, there were a few stories that really made me feel something.
But in full honesty, Klein oftentimes gave me heavy permissive parenting vibes. She obsessively helicopters and walks on eggshells to prevent her son from ever experiencing any remote sense of disappointment or discomfort, and when she is feeling disappointment and discomfort herself, she fully embodies the “wine mom” stereotype, dedicating a full chapter to how much she loves to drink and pop a Xanax. I literally have no room to judge—again, I’m not a mother. I have not experienced the pressure and stress of parenthood. But in my opinion, there is a huge difference between enjoying a glass of wine and dedicating an entire short story in your book to your love of alcohol.
There were also other moments that turned me off. In one story, Klein waxes poetic about how badly she hopes she is with a woman in her next relationship—writing about it in a way that makes it seem like same-sex relationships aren’t “real”; apparently, they are all just sunshine and rainbows and going to the farmers market together. I also found it hypocritical that right after writing about her dream lesbian relationship she would pursue if her husband ever left or passed, she goes on to write that if SHE ever passed she would never give her husband permission to remarry and would haunt him?!
I’ll Show Myself Out had some sweet and tender moments, some moments that didn’t feel based in reality, and so many moments that had me biting my tongue.
I personally am not familiar with Klein, but I thought the description of her book sounded interesting when I was looking through my library’s catalog. I’m not a mother, but I always love to check out books that can help me expand my ability to empathize. While some essays were much stronger and more emotional than others, I’ll Show Myself Out, for the most part, left much to be desired.
Klein had moments where she encapsulated the tender experience of motherhood, growing older, and rediscovering oneself in a really sweet and funny way. Even as somebody who doesn’t have children, there were a few stories that really made me feel something.
But in full honesty, Klein oftentimes gave me heavy permissive parenting vibes. She obsessively helicopters and walks on eggshells to prevent her son from ever experiencing any remote sense of disappointment or discomfort, and when she is feeling disappointment and discomfort herself, she fully embodies the “wine mom” stereotype, dedicating a full chapter to how much she loves to drink and pop a Xanax. I literally have no room to judge—again, I’m not a mother. I have not experienced the pressure and stress of parenthood. But in my opinion, there is a huge difference between enjoying a glass of wine and dedicating an entire short story in your book to your love of alcohol.
There were also other moments that turned me off. In one story, Klein waxes poetic about how badly she hopes she is with a woman in her next relationship—writing about it in a way that makes it seem like same-sex relationships aren’t “real”; apparently, they are all just sunshine and rainbows and going to the farmers market together. I also found it hypocritical that right after writing about her dream lesbian relationship she would pursue if her husband ever left or passed, she goes on to write that if SHE ever passed she would never give her husband permission to remarry and would haunt him?!
I’ll Show Myself Out had some sweet and tender moments, some moments that didn’t feel based in reality, and so many moments that had me biting my tongue.
I listened to the audiobook, which I highly recommend. At times, I was laughing out loud enough that I had to be careful not to drink my coffee at the same time. My kids are 4 and 6 and I think I would probably start to be less interested in this collection if they were a bit older, and I probably would have adored this even more if it had come out when they were younger. As is, this was funny and thoughtful, and I found myself discussing it with friends as I was reading it.
Spot on and relevant to my life as a mom. Love the theme of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”/hero’s journey as motherhood. (Because, YES, so true!)
Highly recommend. Well written, funny, and true. I feel like these could have been my words!
“Giving birth to him had launched him into my orbit, but with the revolution of every passing day, my little satellite would always be inching further away from me, until the day when I would cross the very last threshold of my journey, and I would have to fully let him, and everything else I know and love, go.”
“I remember yearning for another for another adult to have witnessed this moment with me, to have another person who felt what it felt like: big, important, profound.”
“A beginning, a middle, an ending. Solid ground. Some things will be the same; some things will be different.”
Highly recommend. Well written, funny, and true. I feel like these could have been my words!
“Giving birth to him had launched him into my orbit, but with the revolution of every passing day, my little satellite would always be inching further away from me, until the day when I would cross the very last threshold of my journey, and I would have to fully let him, and everything else I know and love, go.”
“I remember yearning for another for another adult to have witnessed this moment with me, to have another person who felt what it felt like: big, important, profound.”
“A beginning, a middle, an ending. Solid ground. Some things will be the same; some things will be different.”