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calstar 's review for:
3.5. There were parts of this book that resonated so much with me and parts that made me want to whip out my phone and email the author about how wrong he was. The book is long and sprawling but it's mostly about how our early wounds and traumas (and sometimes generational wounds and traumas) are scientifically linked to many if not all of the illnesses that befall us later in life. It's fascinating stuff but it also frustrated me beyond belief. Gabor talks about the conditions that humans thrive in and how important community and support are to provide us all the best chance at a physically and emotionally healthy life. It's no surprise that those conditions are nowhere to be seen in our modern, capitalist culture. Hearing about what would make things better and feeling like all of those things are wild pipe dreams was discouraging to me. The part of this book that enraged me most was his stance on breastfeeding. He came hard for Emily Oster, making her sound like an uninformed anti-mom who didn't want to breastfeed because it was boring. He talks about how incredibly vital breastfeeding is for bonding. He says that breastfeeding has many health benefits (he cites zero evidence here) and says women are being discouraged from breastfeeding but ANY mom will tell you the pressure to breastfeed is ALIVE AND WELL. Feeding your baby is bonding. Not breastfeeding doesn't mean not feeding. Any way you feed your baby involves bodily closeness and attention. Shame on him for trying to make it sound like if you don't breastfeed, you're setting your child up for health issues. The absolute, hands-down, best thing about this audiobook was the reading by Daniel Mate, the author's son and co-author. His reading was probably the best audiobook reading I have ever heard in my life.