Member Reviews
Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.
Paula Faris' book, You Don't Have to Carry It All, is a revolutionary call to all members of society to make changes to benefit mothers and future generations, but especially to aid working mothers, who, so often, bear the brunt of trying, and failing, to do it all. Early on in the book, Faris writes about the mothers from whom she heard stories, telling us that "[w]e're all experiencing the same feelings of desperate burnout, the barbaric conflict of mom guilt, and bone-weary exhaustion of carrying it all. We're feeling like we're failing everywhere--at work and at home. And to add insult to injury, most of us are underpaid while we're doing it." Faris then backs these statements up with research and numbers, some of which I had hoped had changed in the fourteen years since I had birthed my child and returned to the work force. Sadly, I was disappointed. Faris writes, "being a mother in America limits you. It creates a ceiling you cannot schedule, manipulate, or power around. No matter how much money or influence you have, being a working mom doesn't work." I have felt this sentiment exactly. The good news is that Faris then includes chapters on how very powerful working mothers are, and how valuable they are to the workforce, and she makes suggestions, like how to ask for a raise and how to invite men into this important conversation, to improve the workforce not only for today's working mothers, but for future generations. Faris' advice and suggestions lead this book to be encouraging and uplifting, such that, at the very least, this working mother is ready for another day in the trenches.
Thanks NetGalley for the preview!
I really enjoyed this book! It did jump around a bit and I got lost a few times. But I loved the real world suggestions of what to try for improving your life.
This is a must-read for all mom's: whether you work, stay at home, or both. This book resonates with SO MANY of us, because we are all carrying this guilt - of doing too much, of not doing enough, of people pleasing and forgetting about ourselves!
Being a mom of an almost 2-year old, I still consider myself a new mom. However, I also - work full-time (paralegal in a Law School), work part-time (dance teacher), go to school part-time (for my Master's degree)... It's a lot. And I struggle with guilt every day. And this book helped me realize that there's a better way. You need to read this! I highly recommend.
Paula includes history, facts/research, personal experiences, other mom personal experiences... this book has it all. And it allows us to be comfortable in feeling the feelings we feel! And accepting that this guilt, pressure, and judgment we feel is NOT okay. We need to be better, society as a whole needs to be better. And I am hopeful that this book shines some light on those us mom's who are struggling to find their way.
*My reasoning for 4.5 stars - if l'm being honest, I am not a religious person, nor am I knowledgeable about the Bible and its stories. There is a whole section referencing the Bible and women, and while it is definitely interesting, it's not necessarily my cup of tea when it comes to reading. But guess what - I STILL LOVED THIS BOOK. Paula never once pushes her faith on her readers as an end all, be all. She even expresses some challenges regarding Christianity and the roles of women. With that being said, I was not deterred from this book.
There are so many important lessons - whether it be from actual data or personal experiences. There is even mention of a #momfail that is almost identical to mine - which made me feel a whole lot better about myself. All in all, I highly recommend this book. No matter where you are in motherhood, this is an important read. And I cannot express that enough.
Thank you, Paula from one working mom to another.
Great book for moms or women in general. Some great insight into what goes on in the mind of someone that shoulders it all.
It started well and serves a good reminder to all mothers to take a step back and have a support system or be one for others. A bit repetitive in the end though. Certain parts need better editing
You Don't Have to Carry it All is a read targeted at mothers struggling with the ubiquitous "mommy guilt." The concepts of mental load and the disparities between the roles of men and women in the family seems to be pushing its way into the public consciousness. I recommend this book to moms struggling with their sense of identity and self worth. It will provide a boost of encouragement. I hope one day, for my daughters, these archaic expectations and burdens will shift and books like this would not be necessary!
Thanks to Paula Faris, Worthy Publishing, and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
"Just because we can carry it all doesn't mean we should."
A great read for all mothers. As a working outside of the home mother it was exactly what I needed to hear. The title sums it up perfectly. You DONT have to carry it all. Mom guilt is real and this book reminds you you do not have to do it alone and in fact you should not do it alone. The book is packed with startling statistics and facts about disparities between the mothers and fathers in the workplace as well as at home. While most of these facts are well known, the book offers ways to advocate for change so that future generations of mothers don't feel like they have to carry it all.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC of the book!
This book was eye opening and a real reality check that even though they want to do it all, there is really no way to physically do it all. In reality many mothers don't ask for help when they need it and we live in a society where everyone wants to be perfect. This really shows how unrealistic societal norms have become.
I was so excited to be approved for an ARC of “You Don’t Have to Carry It All.” I am a mother of a 3 year old, 1 year old, and I have a full time job. I often feel like I’m carrying the world on my shoulders. I am tired of women feeling like they need to specify that they’re not “anti-men,” as a means of justifying how things aren’t fair. Saying that it’s women that need to step up more negates the fact that men in power need to be fighting for the same things.
"𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘮 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 - 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦."
It was really hard for me to pick a quote to go with for this post (I highlighted so many throughout my reading)!
Also, this is going to be a very condensed review with a longer one coming soon because I have A LOT of thoughts.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this! There were a ton of times where I was like YES - THANK YOU! There were other times that made me realize how lucky I am to have such a supportive and amazing boyfriend and father to our little man.
In open honesty, I only gave it 4.5 because it does take a slight turn into religion that I wasn't prepared for - its not bad (I used to practicality live at my church's youth group), I guess I just didn't personally feel like it "fit" in what I was reading. I get why it was there... just adding my two cents!
Thank you Paula, @worthypub and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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This book is must-read for all mom's! It applies to those who stay home or work out of the home... it applies to every mom!
You Don't Have to Carry It All... is a perfect title for this incredible book. Paula Faris nails this book on Mom GUILT.. to a T, families, work force issues and many more areas we need to work on.
I've found so many podcasts to look up, businesses to support who support & care strongly about their female employees (and then those businesses who also will give men the ample time to be away and help take care of their children with their spouse) and then many more highlighted areas to look back on.
However, that being said, there's one message I need to remind myself that I LOVED from the book.
WE CAN NOT do it all. Ask for help! Drop the guilt and get your children, spouse, etc to help you... Esp your sons. They need to see that they, too can do the household chores.
Also, add more JOY into your day. Say YES to something that brings you happiness and leave the dishes.... for later. ;) (Well, if you can... heheh)
I loved every moment of this book. From history/facts to places, businesses that help/support women, to those that help men and care about them and paternity leave, podcasts to look at/into, quotes from various people.... just everything about this book I loved! Just perfection.
I highly recommend this book to all my mom friends!!!!
5 stars from me.
*Recv'd an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Worthy Publishing, Worthy Books for a copy of this book.
This is an excellent book that I wish I had when my child was younger.Paula has great strategies and I enjoyed her personal stories which made me feel I was listening to a girlfriend with great advice.#netgalley #worthybooks.
This book's content and the idea of moms not having to carry it all appealed to me. This book is a call to mothers to free themselves of all of society's expectations. Faris deconstructs the societal expectations American parents face through the lens of her personal experience and interviews with working women, men, leaders, and experts from throughout the country.
One of the things I liked about this book is the number of actionable suggestions for a better way of working, mothering, and living. I found the narrative a bit jarring, alternating from research to history, interviews to experiences to opinions, etc., and the author’s constant reminder that this book is not anti-men. All in all, it was a good read.
This is the book I wish I had a few years ago when I had my first baby. I thought the strategies and advice included in this book were helpful, but what I liked the most about this book is how she shared personal experiences through motherhood. I kept saying out loud and nodding my head, “yes, yes, yes!”.
I'm a little bit torn on this book. This is a subject I am hugely passionate about, but I had trouble getting into the narrative. I think the organization could be a little bit better, because it moves between memoir to history/religion lessons to interviews to research and back again. I also felt that there's too much emphasis on mothers having to fix the problems that society has created together. Multiple times the author states that this book is not anti-men, and that it's women that really need to step it up for change (but also make sure we aren't "mom-shaming"). Yes, we can't alienate men in the quest for equity, but the burden also needs to be on the group in power to help things move forward. In this sense, I felt it was a bit contradictory and maybe just another example of women trying to "carry it all".
Thank you to NetGalley and Worthy Publishing, Worthy Books for the opportunity to access this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.