WHO’S YOUR MAMA? The Unsung Voices of Women and Mothers
“A wide-ranging collection . . . mostly written from non-traditional perspectives. . . . This anthology will offer welcome asylum to those that have no yet taken sides in the literary mommy wars.”—Bust Magazine
“The collection . . . aims to broaden the traditional notion of motherhood and make visible those stories that are so often left out of the conversation.”—Washington Post’s The Root.com
Prompted by her own search to find a book on motherhood that addressed more than the conflict between mothers who work and those who stay at home, Who’s Your Mama? focuses on the voices, experiences, and complexities of women that are most often left out of this dialogue, Bynoe wanted to explore a broader range of motherhood perspectives. She wanted to address the viewpoints of women who were not necessarily married, affluent or White. The essays that she collected give voice to women, though not considered “traditional mothers” by the media yet are raising children, working and crafting families.
These women are integral to our understanding that in this country motherhood is a personal journey that also has societal implications. The essays she has collected demonstrate that there is no one way to be a mother. The diversity of motherhood experience is represented by a JLove Calderon, author of White Girl juggling the roles of activist and mother, to a mother’s celebration of her own vibrant sexuality, to the adoption process for a gay couple, the book explores the intersection between motherhood and the facets of the authors’ lives, which include race, class, sexuality, politics and personal tragedy.
This collection of personal narratives will illuminate the female experience of parenting in our society and humanize a variety of social and economic issues that affect millions of American women and their families. Lori Tharps, author of Kinky Gazpacho talks about raising bi-racial children. Marla Teyolia breaks down the traditional image of the stay-at-home mom; Amy Kalisher tackles the considerably less publicized but equally nerve-wracking task of becoming a stepmother; Kelly Jeske chronicles the long journey of open adoption that she chose to undertake with her gay partner; Sonali S. Balajee goes through with an unplanned pregnancy despite the wishes of her conservative and traditional South Asian parents; Liz Prato defends her decision to remain childless; and many other talented writers contribute their invaluable perspectives.
“Yvonne Bynoe… found an amazingly diverse group of women to contribute to her anthology…The women are not all professional writers, but they contribute deeply-felt stories which are powerfully told. I like these essays for asking good questions rather than presuming to have all the answers…. These are women in the midst of journeys, and it’s interesting to follow along with their thinking.” —Caroline Grant, Editor- Mama, PhD: Women Write about Motherhood & Academic Life
Things You Can Do To Support Who’s Your Mama?
Buy the book
Write an Amazon.com review of the book
Book Yvonne as a speaker for your 2009-2010 events
Donate your copy of the book to an organization that serves women
Post of link to the book on your site
Blog about the book
Read it in your book club
Send it to policy-makers in your city or state
Recommend it to women and mothers whose choices help influence all of us
My Other Books:
Stand & Deliver: Political Activism, Leadership Hip Hop Culture (Soft Skull Press)
The Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip Hop Culture (Greenwood Press)
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