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Catawampus: The Fertility Process from a Man's Perspective
***2014 Red City Review Book Award Finalist - Non-Fiction***
“[Stuart] bravely offers a perspective you might not have heard and does it with humor and hope.”
— Samantha Fisher, WKRN (ABC - Nashville) News Anchor and former CNN correspondent
“With ‘Catawampus’ Stuart Burkhalter has created a quirky guide to understanding the fertility process that both educates and entertains. By chronicling the highs and lows of his own efforts to start a family with his wife, Stuart blends information with humor to create a wholly engaging read that is equal parts reference and memoir.”
— Rory-Owen Delaney, Man Bites Dog Films, director of The Rivalry: Red V. Blue, Toxic Soup, and others
“LOVED [the] book, and I plan on getting several friends of mine to buy it and read it. It is REALLY well done....”
— Chuck Beard, Author of Adventures Inside a Bright-Eyed Sky and owner/operator of East Side Story (Nashville)
Stuart and his wife Julie decided they were ready to have a baby. She went on vitamins and they went on one last vacation, because they thought it would be no time at all before she was pregnant. But that’s not how things went. For nearly two years, they went through grueling fertility treatments, beginning with charting temperatures, predicting ovulation, and on to oral fertility drugs, through a laparoscopy, a slew of IUIs and multiple IVFs, and, finally, a course of homeopathic remedies. Catawampus tells this tale of the madness and confusion of fertility treatments and all that those treatments entail but, this time, it’s Stuart that tells the story.
So, specimen collecting? Sure. Syringes, large and small? Yes. Heartache, frustration, and anger? Of course, but Stuart also shows what else was going on at the time, because, despite the fact that the fertility process can dominate a couple’s focus, life continues to unfold. As such, the book is about a relationship between husband and wife, between parent and child, about friendship, and, ultimately, about what it means to be a father.
Oh, yeah, it’s also very funny. And filled with a choice selection of rants about popular culture, references to movies ranging from the ridiculous to the mostly-still-ridiculous, citations of literary classics, and a little bit of Nashville thrown in for fun. In the end, it’s entertaining and poignant writing, and a necessary and underrepresented perspective of an important, hot-button issue.
“[Stuart] bravely offers a perspective you might not have heard and does it with humor and hope.”
— Samantha Fisher, WKRN (ABC - Nashville) News Anchor and former CNN correspondent
“With ‘Catawampus’ Stuart Burkhalter has created a quirky guide to understanding the fertility process that both educates and entertains. By chronicling the highs and lows of his own efforts to start a family with his wife, Stuart blends information with humor to create a wholly engaging read that is equal parts reference and memoir.”
— Rory-Owen Delaney, Man Bites Dog Films, director of The Rivalry: Red V. Blue, Toxic Soup, and others
“LOVED [the] book, and I plan on getting several friends of mine to buy it and read it. It is REALLY well done....”
— Chuck Beard, Author of Adventures Inside a Bright-Eyed Sky and owner/operator of East Side Story (Nashville)
Stuart and his wife Julie decided they were ready to have a baby. She went on vitamins and they went on one last vacation, because they thought it would be no time at all before she was pregnant. But that’s not how things went. For nearly two years, they went through grueling fertility treatments, beginning with charting temperatures, predicting ovulation, and on to oral fertility drugs, through a laparoscopy, a slew of IUIs and multiple IVFs, and, finally, a course of homeopathic remedies. Catawampus tells this tale of the madness and confusion of fertility treatments and all that those treatments entail but, this time, it’s Stuart that tells the story.
So, specimen collecting? Sure. Syringes, large and small? Yes. Heartache, frustration, and anger? Of course, but Stuart also shows what else was going on at the time, because, despite the fact that the fertility process can dominate a couple’s focus, life continues to unfold. As such, the book is about a relationship between husband and wife, between parent and child, about friendship, and, ultimately, about what it means to be a father.
Oh, yeah, it’s also very funny. And filled with a choice selection of rants about popular culture, references to movies ranging from the ridiculous to the mostly-still-ridiculous, citations of literary classics, and a little bit of Nashville thrown in for fun. In the end, it’s entertaining and poignant writing, and a necessary and underrepresented perspective of an important, hot-button issue.
- GenresMedical
122 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 26, 2014
Ever wonder how infertility struggles affect the man in a relationship? Catawampus gives you a glimpse into one man's journey. Burkhalter's honesty and pop culture references will keep you turning pages.
Disclosure: I was paid to copyedit this book. That said, I enjoyed this memoir and rooted for the author throughout.
Disclosure: I was paid to copyedit this book. That said, I enjoyed this memoir and rooted for the author throughout.
December 30, 2018
Great read about infertility
Stuart covers infertility in a comical sense while still showing you the toll it takes on both partners. Great read.
Stuart covers infertility in a comical sense while still showing you the toll it takes on both partners. Great read.
November 24, 2014
Catawampus is the memoir of Stuart as he and his wife go through various medical treatments so that they can have a child.
This is a short book but the 3-4 hours it will take to read will have you both laughing and upset as they get both good and bad news.
I particularly liked the footnotes where Stuart refers to cultural references ( from The Odyessy to Downtown Abbey)
I'd highly recommend this book.
I received a version that had a very small font size which made the footnotes even smaller. Try and get a Kindle version or an edition with a bigger font.
This is a short book but the 3-4 hours it will take to read will have you both laughing and upset as they get both good and bad news.
I particularly liked the footnotes where Stuart refers to cultural references ( from The Odyessy to Downtown Abbey)
I'd highly recommend this book.
I received a version that had a very small font size which made the footnotes even smaller. Try and get a Kindle version or an edition with a bigger font.
November 21, 2014
quick read, interesting perspective.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews