Homing Instincts: Early Motherhood on a Midwestern Farm
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.96 (905 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B0718ZNZ8S |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 567 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-08-30 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
In eight vivid and boldly questioning essays, Menkedick explores the luminous, disorienting time just before and after becoming a mother. A story of a traveler come home to the farm, of becoming a mother in spite of reservations and doubt, and of learning to appreciate the power and beauty of the quotidian, Homing Instincts speaks to the deepest concerns and hopes of a generation.. Sarah Menkedick spent her 20s trekking alone across South America, teaching English to recalcitrant teenagers on Réunion Island, picking grapes in France, and camping on the Mongolian grasslands; for her, meaning and purpose were to be found on the road, in flight from the ordinary. In "Millie, Mildred, Grandma Menkedick", she considers the nature of story through the life of her tough German grandmother, who raised two boys as a single mother in the 1950s and then spent her 70s traveling the world with her best friend, Marge; in "Motherland", on a trip back to Oaxaca, Mexico, to visit her husband's family, she finally embraces her Midwestern roots; in "The Milk Cave", she discovers in breastfeeding a new appreciation for the spiritual and artistic potential of boredom; and in "The Lake", she revisits her childhood with her father, whose relentless optimism and mystical streak she sees anew once she has a child of her own. As she reacquaints herself with the subtle landscapes of the Midwest and adjusts to the oft
A moving and incredibly honest view into pregnancy and family bonds I can't easily put into words just how much I loved reading Homing Instincts. Especially so soon after finishing the book, with Menkedick's incredible prose and vivid imagery, I feel so self-conscious about the way I write.This is an incredible book, and do not be mislead by the title into thinking Homing Instincts are not for you. I have never had an interest in reading about pregnancy before and am not planning on having children myself, but reading the book made me appreciate all the process of pregnancy. A brilliant mind turns inward, with spectacular results Life is richer, more nuanced, and more meaningful when Sarah Menkedick turns her attention to it—and her pen. This series of essays (I hardly call it a “collection” because it’s so intricately interwoven, so perfectly organized as a narrative that builds momentum and takes on a whole shape that’s greater than the sum of its parts) is part meditation, part coming-of-age, part naturalist treatise, and part poetry. I’ve long been a fan of Menkedick’s work at Vela and e. Gorgeous Prose, Deeply Insightful Sarah Menkedick’s Homing Instincts is about the inward journey that a woman goes on as she evolves into a mother. To some, this book may seem too quiet, lacking action and narrative. This is not a plot-driven book you read just to find out what happens next. Spoiler alert: she has a baby. But that’s precisely what makes this book brilliant. The mental clarity and the reflective, sensory detail richly woven into the work is utterly compelling. I could not put the book down. Menkedick’s mode