Synopsis (From Netgalley, the provider of the book to review)
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An eloquent and intimate debut memoir about navigating the gap between expectation and reality in modern motherhood.
I Cannot Control Everything Forever is Emily Bloom’s journey towards and through motherhood, a path that has become, for the average woman, laden with data and medical technology. Emily faces decisions regarding genetic testing and diagnosis, technologies that offer the illusion of certainty but carry the weight of hard decisions.

Her desire to know more thrusts her back into the history of science, as she traces the discoveries that impacted the modern state of pregnancy and motherhood. With the birth of their daughter, who is diagnosed with congenital deafness and later, Type 1 diabetes, Emily and her husband find their life centred around medical data, devices, and doctor’s visits, but also made richer and fuller by parenting an exceptional child.

As Emily learns, technology and data do not reduce the labour of caretaking. These things often fall, as the pandemic starkly revealed, on mothers. Trying to find a way out of the loneliness and individualism of 21st-century parenthood, Emily finds joy in reaching outwards, towards art and literature–such as the maternal messiness of Louise Bourgeois or Greek myths about the power of fate–as well as the collective sustenance of friends and community.

With lyrical and enchanting prose, I Cannot Control Everything Forever is an inspired meditation on art, science, and motherhood.

Motherhood is not for wimps... and NO ONE that I know has ever said “This is what I expected” but almost everyone has said, “This is so much harder than I thought that it would be!” I love the expression the author uses “EXCEPTIONAL CHILD” – no special needs. Not different. Not difficult.

Motherhood seems to be about science these days --- tests our mothers never dreamt of occurring (ultrasounds, which are like a $2000 a pop blob-baby photo and not needed in most cases but are now expected to be the norm) can bring results that require hard questions and answers.

IT DRIVES ME CRAZY WHEN SOMEONE SAYS, “I DON’T CARE IF IT IS A BOY OR A GIRL ***AS LONG AS THEY’RE HEALTHY***!” – I got into a huge argument at a baby shower over that comment as I asked the person what they would do if they got a child with medical issues … did they not want them then? Did their child have to be perfect? Could they handle a child that wasn’t Instagram-ready-perfect??? ……COULD YOU DEAL WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL CHILD??????

This book will incite a lot of questions in you whether you are pre-children, pregnant, a new parent, a parent of older children or well past having children and questioning YOUR MOTHER and her actions and behaviours. This is a STARTLING BOOK – all I can say is read it and expect your mind to be blown.
#shortbutsweetreviews

I'm so glad Bloom wrote her memoir about motherhood. I always enjoy that genre and was pleasantly surprised at how good this story flowed. Bloom writes in a very open and honest way. This drew me in and I was invested in what she had to say. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Love the title and the cover as well!

The pressures of motherhood.
Emily writes of the pressures of motherhood, "failed" pregnancy, "successful" pregnancy, feelings of inadequacy as a woman in the workforce, and so many other struggles faced by women. I wish I had read this before having my children. As I was reading, I was remembering some of the things my friends and I faced as young parents.

I agree with and wonder why so many people see deafness as something to be grieved. I have deaf friends who say they would never want to hear and deal with the issues hearing people have. I applaud Emily for sharing her story and her use of all the medical facts and interesting information she did.

I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Stunning and innovatively structured memoir. The narrative follows a mother through a tumultuous pregnancy and difficult motherhood; as the author discusses her own experiences, she introduces the history of technologies, social constructs, normative labels, philosophy, literature, and people (including historical figures) that have inadvertently shaped her life and her outlook while she undergoes her journey. I LOVE this format. Not only are many of the facts fascinating, but Bloom also introduces them in a way that reminds readers of the commonalities of the human experience. We lift many inventors, thinkers, and writers onto pedestals; in doing so, we forget that their personal and familial struggles are similar to ours; we are all just an interconnected web of people that influence each other in minor but inevitably consequential ways. I greatly appreciate the diversity in topics and people that Bloom did deep dives on--not everything in our lives can be traced back to a bearded man in a lab; the single mothers and unrespected artists have changed worlds too.

Bloom's narrative is made more compelling and arguably more colorful due to her inclusion of the aforementioned historical facts. Her prose is beautiful, but if it was solely focused on her and her daughter, I can see how the writing could quickly become stale. Instead, Bloom reminds us that even in the most private of relationships, there are millions of people (spanning many miles and many generations) who also have a hand in our happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. All thoughts were my own. I'm looking forward to buying myself a physical copy on April 16th so I can highlight and notate and truly do this book justice.

A lovely memoir and commentary on motherhood. Definitely a must read, wonderful and intriguing. I also really love the cover as well.