Advice Books for Juggling Careers & Motherhood: Background information when reading The Resurrection of Joan Ashby

Advice Books for Juggling Careers & Motherhood

This article relates to The Resurrection of Joan Ashby

In The Resurrection of Joan Ashby, the eponymous main character struggles to maintain her career as a writer while raising two children. She is not alone; thousands of women grapple with this issue every day. In recent years many books have been published aimed at this demographic with the goal of providing advice, guidance and support. A few of the more popular are listed below.

The Milk Memos: How Real Moms Learned to Mix Business with Babies and How You Can, Too by Cate Colburn-Smith and Andrea Serrette (2007)

This book was started when Cate Colburn-Smith sat down in IBM's company lactation room and scribbled on a paper towel, "I'm a new mom and today is my first day back at work. Is anyone else using this room?" Women responded, and the paper towel was quickly replaced by a notebook in which working moms traded advice and support – the genesis of The Milk Memos. The book "records the voices of mothers who, while struggling with the difficulties of blending their two lives, prove that women don't have to choose between work and family. Their thoughts on how it can be done will inspire women everywhere."

Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids by Christina Katz (2007). christinakatz.com

Katz is a writing coach and blogger who offers advice not only about continuing to write after having children, but on writing style in general as well as tips on how to get one's work published. Writer Mama strives to help women establish a freelance writing career while being a stay-at-home mom.

Maxed Out: American Moms on the Brink by Katrina Alcorn (2013) kalcorn.com

The author had a successful career "leading interactive design projects for the Web, as well as building and mentoring creative teams" for Fortune 500 companies. Eventually, though, the stress of being a wife, mother and working in a competitive field caught up with her, leading to a "year-long recovery from depression and anxiety." In Maxed Out she shares her personal journey as well as offering readers "a vision for a healthier, happier and more productive way to work and live."

Tilt: 7 Solutions to be a Guilt-Free Working Mom by Marci Fair (2014) marcifair.com

Gold Level Winner of the Mom's Choice Awards, Tilt "was written out of the difficult struggles and unexpected answers that Marci Fair has found on her journey through the tilt of life, work, and motherhood." Her premise is that balance is impossible, and so working moms must learn to "tilt" instead. The book combines quotes from her children, insight gleaned through interviews with over 80 other mothers who also maintain careers, as well as over 100 "practical, guilt-free tips" to help women cope with the stress of trying to live up to everyone's expectations.

Act Three: Create the Life You Want After Your First Career and Full-Time Motherhood by Julie Shifman (2012) julieshifman.com

According to the Act Three book jacket, Shifman has had many jobs throughout her life. She "started her career as a ballet dancer, leaving ballet to go to law school. After a successful career as a lawyer in New York City and Cincinnati, she reinvented herself again in 2000, establishing Shifman & Associates, a nonprofit business-consulting firm. In 2008, as her own children were leaving the nest, Julie founded Act Three, a company that helps women across the country attain an exciting next stage of life." This title is aimed more at the woman whose children no longer need full-time care, leaving her with more time to explore her talents and set a course for her post-child future.

Balance Is a Crock, Sleep Is for the Weak: An Indispensable Guide to Surviving Working Motherhood by Amy Eschliman and Leigh Oshirak (2010)

On a lighter note, Balance is a Crock offers a "wickedly funny, girlfriend-to-girlfriend survival guide for women who want real answers, not mommy manifestos or sappy crap on finding 'balance.'" It contains chapters with such interesting titles as "Maternity Leave: Vacation or Hell?" and "You Are Not Your Husband's Mother! And Other Time-Sucking Obligations." The authors, both with marketing careers and family lives, share their take on approaching the stresses of being working mothers.

by Kim Kovacs

Filed under Reading Lists

This "beyond the book article" relates to The Resurrection of Joan Ashby. It originally ran in October 2017 and has been updated for the May 2018 paperback edition. Go to magazine.