Sleep is for the Weak: Mommybloggers Tell it Straight

[Is it ironic that I reviewed Sleep is for the Weak at 4 AM on a work day?]

When I was pregnant with my first child nearly ten years ago, way back before I knew how to spell blog-os-phere, my very favorite book was The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine. Unlike all the other books about pregnancy and childbirth I had accumulated, this book was packed with no-holds-barred straight talk about the stuff you don't find in most other books.

Vicki wasn't a gynecologist or obstetrician; she was simply a woman who had been-there-done-that many times over and had a few choice words for her female reader compadres about conception, pregnancy, and childbirth's seedy (and perhaps flabby) underbelly.

Nowadays, no-holds-barred straight talk about anything and everything abounds in this global coffee house we call the internet, and if you ask me, no one does it better than Mommybloggers.

This diverse and plentiful sorority of women and a few men let it all hang out in the most wonderful of ways. Their words inspire as they provoke, enlighten as they entertain, soothe as they commiserate.

And it is this collective voice of experience that we crave in our time of need...like when baby won't sleep and toddler won't poop and bullies bully and spouses spar and a million other parenting dramas unfold.

Sleep is for the Weak is a glimpse into the world of mommybloggers, featuring previously published blog posts from some popular voices on the momosphere. I especially enjoyed:

• Karen's essay about finally "Becoming Mama" to her adopted daughter
• Rita Arens' piece, "Nicole Richie has Nothing on Me" in which she talks frankly about raising a daughter with a healthy body image despite struggles with her own
• Jennifer Satterwhite's reflections on a mother's love in "You Can Never Out-Love Your Mom"
• Amy Corbett Storch's post, "Here, I Wrote Down Some Long-Winded Pontification on Mommyhood for You" about parenthood as a life-changing event
• Alice Bradley's creative and hilarious toddler imaginings in "I Just Have to Figure Out How He Printed This"
• Kelli Oliver George's fantasy answers to common questions pregnant women must endure in"Since When is Cynical a Bad Thing"
• Liz Gumbinner's reflections on doctor smack talk in "Aren't Doctors Supposed to Make You Feel Better?"
• Risa Green's words about patience and perspective in "Happy Freakin' New Year"
• Joanna Polyn's requisite and hilarious poop post, "The Dinner Party"

And so many more, and in particular Izzy's "The Things They Never Told Me." In my opinion, Izzy's voice is that of Vicki Iovine from The Girlfriends' Guide...but better. She's not a doctor, but to me, her words and shared experience are just the remedy for people - especially moms to be and brand new moms - in search of honesty and truth.

Mommybloggers may not sleep much, but make no mistake: their collective voice is loud and powerful. (Remember, Sleep is for the Weak!) I celebrate this first collection as a nod to the immense talent - both raw and refined - that makes up the momosphere, and look forward to seeing these and many other resonant voices featured in subsequent mommyblogger collections.

For more feedback about this book and to read other interesting book and product reviews, please visit my friends at the Parent Blogger Network.