My Body Created A Human is a proper look into the mindset of pregnancy and early motherhood, and finding the balance between your identity outside of motherhood and embracing every aspect of it. It expresses the thoughts and experiences many of us deal with about the environmental impact of having a child, not being sure who you after birth, the isolation and desire for community, and not knowing how to make friends or how to have things in common outside of parenthood when you just don't have the time to participate in media.

The art is black and white, and minimalistic, which I think works well for this type of story. The pacing is good as feel very stream of conscious. It's not one story, but Emma's story of motherhood told in a panel or two at a time. There's a lot of nudity in it, but it's not sexualized nor offensive, degrading, distasteful, nor too much. It's true to motherhood and to the changes in our bodies.

I rate it 4 out 5 stars. To me it means that I enjoyed it a lot, learned things from it, and felt a connection to the story, but don't view it as an all time favorite. I do love it and hope that many more people read it.

Not for the middle school classroom. I didn't expect the character to be as naked as she was.

As a new mom, I enjoyed the realness of this book.

Also, did not expect a much about climate change in here.

This book does a really good job of showing both the positive and negative experiences of the author during pregnancy. I can definitely seeing it appealing to readers that are pregnant or hoping to become pregnant. It is very raw and emotional. The only negative is that she goes on and on about climate change. I understand that climate change is an important topic and it should definitely be discussed, but she brings it up over and over and it doesn’t really mesh well with the rest of the story.

Black and white graphic memoir about thoughts and experiences related to pregnancy and motherhood. I was surprised by the amount of time spent on climate concerns. Yes, it is in the description, but it caught me off guard by how much it was brought up, especially since that while it is a legitimate concern, there are other concerns a parent would have regarding their child's future that aren't really brought up (politics, racism, economy, war, etc). Overall, good graphic novel about the experiences of pregnancy and motherhood.

I quite liked this little graphic novel. Using a loose sketching style and a sketch-type font, in “My Body Created a Human,” Ahlqvist attempts to capture the joys and fears of early motherhood. She lays out relatable moments and quandaries in a way that feels super personal but also so universal. She reflects on her own feelings and experiences, and they were so similar to my own, that I found myself nodding along and even laughing out-loud a few times.

Several reviews struggle with the author’s musings on feminism and climate change, but I found myself really relating to those issues. How does one balance being eco-conscious with all the baby gear and the need sometimes just for convenience, particularly when one is a working mom? And how do we navigate the feminist ideal of “having it all” — because I can’t have a full time job and as much time with my kids as I would like. I really related to the section of both being grateful that her partner is a good and involved father but also being jealous that he gets to sleep while she breastfeeds, then he gets to be home with the baby when she goes back to work.

This book does include drawings of the human figure, but these are designed to highlight phenomenons like giving birth, breastfeeding, and the changes the body goes through when growing and nurturing a human. They are not at all meant to be sexy or titillating (although some reviewers seems to miss the sarcasm on the “sexy breastmilk” page). I like how the author is not afraid to discuss the physical and even hormonal changes that pregnancy creates both in a body and in a relationship.

I would recommend this to all moms and moms-to-be as a quick glimpse into the beauty, confusion, struggle, and glory if motherhood.


*** I received a digital advanced copy of this book in order to provide a fair review. Opinions here are my own***



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I enjoyed this comics/graphic novel take on personal experience and would use it as a mentor text/example for burgeoning comics creators.

My Body Created a Human is a poignant look at one individual's feelings surrounding pregnancy and motherhood. Ahlqvist reflects on her experiences through her drawings and comics which compliment the words exceptionally well. The art style is simple, black and white drawings that feel as if they're bringing the reader into Ahlqvist's headspace. There's a quietness and introspection to her story-telling that feels real and genuine, and as I mom myself, strikes at something and true in my being.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review!

This graphic novel, at its core, shows the ups and downs of motherhood in a realistic manner. I really did enjoy the narrators realistic take, most stories I find centring pregnancy or child bearing are either super optimistic or super pessimistic and I found this story to be a perfect balance between the two. It was very raw and personal and I can tell the author put a lot of themselves out there for the reader. Some comments in the story rubbed me the wrong way, but again, the author showed the good and the bad and I would assume that goes with some of their previous thoughts/opinions. I wish the writing was different as well, I found the font difficult to read as well as gave the book an overdone mess appearance. But! Overall I enjoyed the story and think that it is an important one for mothers/ anyone in general to read. I believe it gives a realistic stance of pregnancy/children in general - especially with the world we live in today.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This felt unfinished (which maybe it is?), and the drawing style just wasn’t for me. I don’t think the graphic novel format works well digitally, so maybe that’s why it didn’t work for me. 2.5 stars.

I wish I could say I loved MY BODY CREATED A HUMAN, as I'm a big fan of 'motherhood literature' and graphic memoirs in general, but throughout the book, I found myself wanting more. The moments where Ahlqvist gestures toward her climate anxiety were compelling, but they didn't quite coalesce. In general, I wanted more depth from this memoir.

I'm sure someone will read this book and enjoy it but for those who are Christian or Conservative and modest - this isn't a book I would go anywhere near.

The art work is meant to be that raw and ugly style that is usually paired with bad poetry books or stories like this that are trying to be 'true'. I didn't mind the art work I know everyone has their preferences but wow was there a lot of nudity. it was distasteful and just unnecessary. Obviously there was a point trying to be made about women's bodies being liberated, feminism, mumbo jumbo timey wimey stuff but at the end of the day it is still unnecessary and did nothing but harm the story. Shock factor isn't everything and doesn't automatically equal liberation, truth and justice it just shows that this is another woke book that in my opinion should be avoided and is forgettable.

FYI I tried to read a few more pages and wasn't impressed. This wasn't a personal story talking about postpartum, hormones high for wanting another kid, it's all stuff that any woman can tell you so literally the only thin this book did that was ...unique? (I use this term losely and not in an endearing way) is being turned on and commenting on the sexiness of getting pregnant, and not wearing braw to squirt her husband with quote: "sexy breast milk spray" which is the entire scene btw and then she goes on talking about stretch marks.

I did enjoy very much this book, it is different from cartoon book or from manga, is more close to a children book but for adults, the main theme is motherhood and what changes for a woman when she becomes a mother, and i did relate to what i read, and yeah i highly recommend this book, i believe it is a nice gift to someone that will be a mother or even to someone like me that had children years ago, this will make us revive some moments and maybe help us bond with other women…

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

First things first, never been pregnant and don't plan to be.

However, i cannot help but feel curious about what it is like for different women hence the desire to read it.

Based on what I have observed my pregnant friends going through, i am not surprised by what is shared here.

However, the part that bugged me was the bit about her going on about being a feminist and yet not being happy when the hubs/partner pulled his weight.

Then wanting a career and yet uncertain about being defined by merely being a mom. That was the interpretation i got.. that annoyed me. It made me feel like a damn if you do damn if you don't and i kinda felt sorry for her partner cos it felt like unnecessary drama. *shrugs* that is when it went from a four star read to three star read for me...

A heartfelt graphic memoir about being a new mom and the realities of parenthood — the good, the bad, the cute, the ugly, the struggles and more. I appreciate the honest, raw and very personal account from Emma Ahlqvist.

What stuck out to me most was how the author feels like being a feminist and environmentally conscious person are mutually exclusive from being a mother, which seem to result in various moral dilemmas and conflicted thoughts. Interesting how high climate change is on her list of priorities.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read despite the author's occasional holier-than-thou attitude about being a better parent than others. Like okay, motherhood is your calling — good for you!

You know I wasn't sure about this because the art wasn't visually appealing to me, but the subject matter is very relatable and I always enjoy reading other mothers honest experiences. We have different concerns and priorities but still know that special bond of motherhood.

Part 7. A mother and a friend, was probably my favorite part. "I want to be more social but I don't want to leave my house very often." Most especially "Is it too picky to what to have more in common than motherhood?"

3.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Princeton Architectural Press for giving me the opportunity to read this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review.

Even though it's not my regular fare, I requested this book because I'm both fascinated and a little creeped out by the concept of pregnancy and birth. I found this book quite enjoyable; it's simple, conversational, and honest about both the good and the bad parts of pregnancy and motherhood. I thought it was nice to see childrearing represented positively, as the author is correct that most people like to share horror stories. It was also cool to see the positive and accepting relationship the author had with her body and her partner.

As someone who is not a mom yet this was really eye opening. A lot of the things that were talked about were things I wonder about as well. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to be a mom one day.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher’s for allowing me to read and enjoy this wonderful graphic novel memoir.
4 stars!
I absolutely loved this gn-memoir. This was my first mothers love for child book and it didn’t disappoint. You could feel the emotions the author but into this memoir. The art was absolutely beautiful and I loved how feminist this memoir was!

It captures a woman's transformation from the moment she gets to know she's gonna be a mom to finding balance in life after being blessed with a baby. I love the first page, it's my most favorite scene in the whole book. As It discusses her personal journey of motherhood, some parts will be relatable and others will be not depending on location, financial ability, family support etc. There are a couple of naked pictures and casual mention of intimate acts which was uncomfortable at times. While I don't usually mind it, I would have preferred if it had some sort of warning. Not all her decisions or thoughts sit well with me but everyone is different, so that's fine. The beauty of the book is it contains raw emotions and tells the story just the way it happened. I love how deeply concerned she is about climate change. Her anxieties, struggling to get back to work after maternal leave, the fear of losing her own identity and not being able to spend time with her husband - these scenarios are so real and heartfelt. Good one!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive an arc in exchange for my honest review- all thoughts and opinions are my own!


A short and bittersweet of pregnancy, anxiety of becoming a new parent, and perspectives on being pregnant currently- ie the pages on the current state of environmental issues. A neat perspective that wasn’t cookie cutter, wasn’t this only “everything I’d wonderful and miraculous” thoughtspace- I appreciated that!