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We Got This: Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart, and Humor
In the United States, more than 15 million women are parenting children on their own, either by circumstance or by choice. Too often these moms who do it all have been misrepresented and maligned. Not anymore. In We Got This , seventy-five solo mom writers tell the truth about their lives―their hopes and fears, their resilience and setbacks, their embarrassments and triumphs. Some of these writers’ names will sound familiar, like Amy Poehler, Anne Lamott, and Elizabeth Alexander, while others are about to become unforgettable. Bound together by their strength, pride, and―most of all― their dedication to their children, they broadcast a universal and empowering You are not alone, solo moms―and your tenacity, courage, and fierce love are worthy of celebration.
- GenresEssaysNonfiction
352 pages, Paperback
Published September 10, 2019
14 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Marika Lindholm
3 books18 followersMarika Lindholm founded the social platform Empowering Solo Moms Everywhere (ESME.com) to ignite a social movement of solo moms. A trained sociologist, she taught courses on inequality, diversity, and gender at Northwestern University for over a decade. After a divorce left her parenting two children on her own, she built ESME out of academic and personal experience. Marika has published scholarly articles; been a regular contributor to Psychology Today, Ms., Working Mother, Mind Body Green, and Talk Space; and published essays and fiction in the Daily News, Elephant Journal, The Hill, Silent Voices, Southern Indiana Review and Writer's Digest.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 9, 2019
I loved this collection! This collection of essays and poems is written by 75 women from different ethnicities, beliefs, sexual orientations, and economic backgrounds. Some of the stories made me laugh and some made me cry. I flagged numerous essays and even a couple of poems that I could look back on later. Some because I could relate, others because I learned something.
One of my favorites was a letter from a boy to his teacher about his two moms and the fact that they are no longer together. He speaks to how he doesn't want to be treated differently and how his family is just like any one else's.
As a single Mom, I get lots of random advice and judgment. Some helpful and some completely off base. The best thing I was told was to "be my own best friend". I have truly taken that to heart. The thing that I hate the most is when someone's partner goes out of town and a comment is made about being a short-term single parent. I highly recommend this book to any other solo Mom's or anyone who wants to better understand a solo Mom.
One of my favorites was a letter from a boy to his teacher about his two moms and the fact that they are no longer together. He speaks to how he doesn't want to be treated differently and how his family is just like any one else's.
As a single Mom, I get lots of random advice and judgment. Some helpful and some completely off base. The best thing I was told was to "be my own best friend". I have truly taken that to heart. The thing that I hate the most is when someone's partner goes out of town and a comment is made about being a short-term single parent. I highly recommend this book to any other solo Mom's or anyone who wants to better understand a solo Mom.
October 21, 2019
What an amazing book for women everywhere! Even though this book is about solo mothers, I think women in general will love it! I was a single parent at one point in my life and even though it was very difficult and super stressful at times, I grew as a person and as a parent, and I became a much stronger-willed women because of the obstacles I had to overcome. We women are pretty fierce. I know so many women who are single parents and they are total rockstars when it comes to parenting on their own.
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"We Got This" isn't a man bashing book or anything like that. It is a powerful collection of inspiring, heartfelt and humorous essays, poems and quotes. It is uplifting and encouraging, sometimes heartbreaking. The book is kind of like a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" edition and has many, many contributors and a little bio about each person at the end. This would make a wonderful gift for a single mother in your life whether she is struggling or not. The stories will stick to with you and some will bury themselves in your very soul.
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"We Got This" was released on September 10th by She Writes Press. Add it to your TBR list today! You will be glad you did!
.
"We Got This" isn't a man bashing book or anything like that. It is a powerful collection of inspiring, heartfelt and humorous essays, poems and quotes. It is uplifting and encouraging, sometimes heartbreaking. The book is kind of like a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" edition and has many, many contributors and a little bio about each person at the end. This would make a wonderful gift for a single mother in your life whether she is struggling or not. The stories will stick to with you and some will bury themselves in your very soul.
.
"We Got This" was released on September 10th by She Writes Press. Add it to your TBR list today! You will be glad you did!
October 27, 2019
This is a captivating book told through stories and poems by single mothers. Some of these moms are single moms by choice but most are not. I am not a single mom but I found this book very engaging. The stories told are poignant, funny, sad, and encouraging. This is a book you can pick up and put down as the stories are short. It is a tough job being a parent and it is insightful to read these stories by single moms. If you know a single mom I think this would be a perfect gift for her!
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November 4, 2019Moms rock. I know that, you know that, your mom probably knows that, but it doesn’t hurt to let her know every now and then. Seriously, next time you call up your mom—whether that happens daily, once a week or once a month—tell her that she rocks.
We Got This: Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart, and Humor (She Writes Press) is a new collection of writing by single moms who rock twice as hard by virtue of raising children all by themselves.
There are an astonishing seventy-five total essays, poems, confessions and more in this book from mothers who elected to have children independently (Robin Silbergleid’s “An Open Letter to Our Sperm Donor” reflects on the gift of life), those who didn’t (Kathleen Laccinole’s essay “Raising a Boy without a Man” touches on the difficulty of navigating a different gender space without a partner to handle gendered conversations) and all those strong single mothers who aren’t celebrated enough.
We Got This isn’t all indie voices, however—while it’s packed with revealing, honest accounts from women of all backgrounds, there are a number of famous voices in the mix. Amy Poehler talks about the dissolution of her marriage in “My Books on Divorce” while legendary feminist writer Audre Lorde’s poem “Now That I Am Forever with Child” features prominently.
Each of these passages was hand-selected by the book’s editors, Marika Lindholm, Cheryl Dumesnil, Domenica Ruta and Katherine Shonk. Lindholm is the founder of Empowering Solo Moms Everywhere, a website dedicated to bringing single mothers together and providing helpful resources for moms who could use an assist.
The rest of the review: https://booktrib.com/2019/11/we-got-t...
We Got This: Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart, and Humor (She Writes Press) is a new collection of writing by single moms who rock twice as hard by virtue of raising children all by themselves.
There are an astonishing seventy-five total essays, poems, confessions and more in this book from mothers who elected to have children independently (Robin Silbergleid’s “An Open Letter to Our Sperm Donor” reflects on the gift of life), those who didn’t (Kathleen Laccinole’s essay “Raising a Boy without a Man” touches on the difficulty of navigating a different gender space without a partner to handle gendered conversations) and all those strong single mothers who aren’t celebrated enough.
We Got This isn’t all indie voices, however—while it’s packed with revealing, honest accounts from women of all backgrounds, there are a number of famous voices in the mix. Amy Poehler talks about the dissolution of her marriage in “My Books on Divorce” while legendary feminist writer Audre Lorde’s poem “Now That I Am Forever with Child” features prominently.
Each of these passages was hand-selected by the book’s editors, Marika Lindholm, Cheryl Dumesnil, Domenica Ruta and Katherine Shonk. Lindholm is the founder of Empowering Solo Moms Everywhere, a website dedicated to bringing single mothers together and providing helpful resources for moms who could use an assist.
The rest of the review: https://booktrib.com/2019/11/we-got-t...
July 24, 2019
We Got This is an Interesting compilation of short stories and poems composed by single moms. Each has a unique perspective on her situation and offers readers a varied selection.
I think the stories are valuable because being a parent is very difficult and doing it solo makes it even more challenging.
Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.
I think the stories are valuable because being a parent is very difficult and doing it solo makes it even more challenging.
Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.
September 11, 2019
In "We Got This," editors Marika Lindholm, Cheryl Dumesnil, Domenica Ruta, and Katherine Shonk share the quotes, poems, and short stories of more than 75 individuals impacted by solo parenting. Like most anthologies, the result is both hit and miss. That said, there’s quite a bit of hit.
The book is packed with relatable moments and contains some truly evocative prose. “His presence was like an imaginary door that he swung open and closed,” writes Terri Linton. Along similar lines, Melissa Stephenson lists rarely shared details of parenting in the shadow of an absentee: “How there is no one to help them buy me presents on holidays, so they make them in secret after bedtime. How we spend those holidays alone, all the friends we call family busy spending time with their real families. How when their father last visited, my son smiled and said, ‘Now everyone at school will know my dad is real.’”
The editors include work of their own. Dr. Lindholm, who founded ESME.com, the solo parenting website on which several of the book’s essays originally appeared, writes: “[M]y daughter’s walls, sheets, blankets, and pillows were festooned with purple and pink butterflies. The tiny blue parakeet, which I purchased at PetSmart after a particularly devastating mediation session during which her father accused me of destroying his life, was my latest nod to Ella’s obsession and my bottomless guilt.” Co-editor Cheryl Dumesnil also speaks to the experience of a dissolved union: “My marriage broke, irreparably, years before it ended. I had done my level best to create a healthy life for myself and the kids, despite the brokenness, hoping someday, eventually, maybe my ex and I could fix it. This was a lot like trying to live a fulfilling life while a shark is eating your leg.”
Short quotations break things up along the way, quotes such as Nina Simone’s “You have to learn to get up from the table when love is no longer being served” and Katie Couric’s “You don’t have the bad cop when you’re the good cop and when you’re the good cop you don’t have the bad cop; you’re like the whole police force in your family.” Also lending the compendium a carefully punctuated flow is its intersectionality: the reader hears disparate voices, including many from backgrounds that rarely receive representation in the mainstream media.
All of these bits contribute to make "We Got This" a generally worthwhile endeavor to produce, but its highest value to readers lies in a handful of truly stunning works. “Tahlequah” by Isa Down, “When He Died” by Robin Rogers, “It Will Look Like a Sunset” by Kelly Sundberg, “All Manner of Obscene Things” by Kim Addonizio, and “Deconstructing Kanji” by Mika Yamamoto each left me unable to pull out one or two glistening lines, the whole lot skillfully crafted and heartbreakingly relatable.
“Grey Street” by Angela Ricketts falls in this category too, but the imagery of “[o]ne ugly green Croc lying by the door” as she heads to the hospital with a bare foot and a myocardial infarction bears repeating. So too does the following: “My left shoulder pangs and I grip the wall without a sound. Just my palm on the ugly wall. For years the army painted the inside of our homes chalky white; then they decided to get all snazzy with the neutral tones.” The same thing goes for “Size Queen” by Evie Peck, hands down the funniest part of We Got This (sorry, Amy Poehler). “I went through the stages of rejection: anger, denial, disgust, hunger, Botox brochures,” Peck writes, later confessing, “It was weird sexting at my son’s game, but I was snack mom today, so I’d redeem myself later.” Several other zingers can’t be appreciated out of context.
And I can’t not mention the excerpt from Anne Lamott’s bestseller "Operating Instructions" and Ylonda Gault’s wildly popular New York Times essay “Why I Don’t Grieve for My Daughter at College” (“Privilege takes many forms. I can only assume that the legions of parents who spent this fall up in their feelings over their babies’ departures have led lives very different from my own.”).
Again, not all the material landed for me. Nor will it for you. But "We Got This" offers the promise that some combination of its many words will deeply insinuate itself, making you think and feel about what it means to be a solo parent, regardless of whether you are one yourself.
The book is packed with relatable moments and contains some truly evocative prose. “His presence was like an imaginary door that he swung open and closed,” writes Terri Linton. Along similar lines, Melissa Stephenson lists rarely shared details of parenting in the shadow of an absentee: “How there is no one to help them buy me presents on holidays, so they make them in secret after bedtime. How we spend those holidays alone, all the friends we call family busy spending time with their real families. How when their father last visited, my son smiled and said, ‘Now everyone at school will know my dad is real.’”
The editors include work of their own. Dr. Lindholm, who founded ESME.com, the solo parenting website on which several of the book’s essays originally appeared, writes: “[M]y daughter’s walls, sheets, blankets, and pillows were festooned with purple and pink butterflies. The tiny blue parakeet, which I purchased at PetSmart after a particularly devastating mediation session during which her father accused me of destroying his life, was my latest nod to Ella’s obsession and my bottomless guilt.” Co-editor Cheryl Dumesnil also speaks to the experience of a dissolved union: “My marriage broke, irreparably, years before it ended. I had done my level best to create a healthy life for myself and the kids, despite the brokenness, hoping someday, eventually, maybe my ex and I could fix it. This was a lot like trying to live a fulfilling life while a shark is eating your leg.”
Short quotations break things up along the way, quotes such as Nina Simone’s “You have to learn to get up from the table when love is no longer being served” and Katie Couric’s “You don’t have the bad cop when you’re the good cop and when you’re the good cop you don’t have the bad cop; you’re like the whole police force in your family.” Also lending the compendium a carefully punctuated flow is its intersectionality: the reader hears disparate voices, including many from backgrounds that rarely receive representation in the mainstream media.
All of these bits contribute to make "We Got This" a generally worthwhile endeavor to produce, but its highest value to readers lies in a handful of truly stunning works. “Tahlequah” by Isa Down, “When He Died” by Robin Rogers, “It Will Look Like a Sunset” by Kelly Sundberg, “All Manner of Obscene Things” by Kim Addonizio, and “Deconstructing Kanji” by Mika Yamamoto each left me unable to pull out one or two glistening lines, the whole lot skillfully crafted and heartbreakingly relatable.
“Grey Street” by Angela Ricketts falls in this category too, but the imagery of “[o]ne ugly green Croc lying by the door” as she heads to the hospital with a bare foot and a myocardial infarction bears repeating. So too does the following: “My left shoulder pangs and I grip the wall without a sound. Just my palm on the ugly wall. For years the army painted the inside of our homes chalky white; then they decided to get all snazzy with the neutral tones.” The same thing goes for “Size Queen” by Evie Peck, hands down the funniest part of We Got This (sorry, Amy Poehler). “I went through the stages of rejection: anger, denial, disgust, hunger, Botox brochures,” Peck writes, later confessing, “It was weird sexting at my son’s game, but I was snack mom today, so I’d redeem myself later.” Several other zingers can’t be appreciated out of context.
And I can’t not mention the excerpt from Anne Lamott’s bestseller "Operating Instructions" and Ylonda Gault’s wildly popular New York Times essay “Why I Don’t Grieve for My Daughter at College” (“Privilege takes many forms. I can only assume that the legions of parents who spent this fall up in their feelings over their babies’ departures have led lives very different from my own.”).
Again, not all the material landed for me. Nor will it for you. But "We Got This" offers the promise that some combination of its many words will deeply insinuate itself, making you think and feel about what it means to be a solo parent, regardless of whether you are one yourself.
April 2, 2020
The ancient, iconic commonality of "motherhood" has always provided an enormous canvas from which to draw memory or share perspective, whether over centuries, ethnicities, eras, or individual experiences. The stories that fill this wonderful book come from a panoply of mothers whose unique point of view is their "solo-hood," their process of raising children as a single parent, and while that lends each essay a particular flavor, all readers -- whether parents or childless, single, married, or divorced -- will find something that touches and resonates.
There are so many talented writers who contribute to this anthology, with so many different anecdotes that run the gamut from funny, to heartbreaking, to melancholy, to triumphant, that one can enjoy this book like a good meal, taking time to savor each separate "course" in whatever order pleases, but ultimately embracing the whole as a "feast" of compassionate, thought-provoking, lovingly maternal storytelling.
Well done, ladies, with particular kudos to Marika Lindholm, who founded ESME (Empowering Solo Moms Everywhere) in 2015, as a "helpful and informative community for single moms," and was the main editor behind this powerful compilation of diverse and fascinating perspective on the art and craft of raising children on one's own.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that sticks.
There are so many talented writers who contribute to this anthology, with so many different anecdotes that run the gamut from funny, to heartbreaking, to melancholy, to triumphant, that one can enjoy this book like a good meal, taking time to savor each separate "course" in whatever order pleases, but ultimately embracing the whole as a "feast" of compassionate, thought-provoking, lovingly maternal storytelling.
Well done, ladies, with particular kudos to Marika Lindholm, who founded ESME (Empowering Solo Moms Everywhere) in 2015, as a "helpful and informative community for single moms," and was the main editor behind this powerful compilation of diverse and fascinating perspective on the art and craft of raising children on one's own.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that sticks.
November 10, 2019
Having grown up with a single mom, this heartwarming, inspirational, and candid collection of personal accounts brought me through most every human emotion as these brave women from all sectors of society shared a piece of their struggles, triumphs, and intimately human experiences. I can't recommend this book strongly enough, and I'm grateful to know that we weren't alone, despite how often it felt that way.
September 26, 2019
A must read for single moms everywhere!
November 3, 2019
Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
It’s a great read, and very inspiring, the stories are funny and informative. A book perfect for busy moms
It’s a great read, and very inspiring, the stories are funny and informative. A book perfect for busy moms
October 27, 2019
I received this book for honest Review.
This is the first time reading anything from this author and let me say that I loved it so much.
I like this was my life in this book.
You now that feeling when you want something so badly but it hard cuz you have kids. Well I felt like that!
For example I have 5 kids now but one time I didn't. When I only had 4 I so badly want to go back to High School and finish and also go to college. One day I made up mine and decided to do it. I wasn't going to let nothing hold me back and has a mom I had to do this for my kids. To give them a better life. I end up finishing High School and went to College while my kids were in school. I was a college mom, working, and taking care of mine. I got my College degree on Criminal Justice.
Life doesn't stop cuz you have kids. It just the beginning! 💃
Life doesn't STOP it Continues! 😎
Once you have something in your head go for it and don't let nothing stop you.
This read was a eye opener!
I love the writing and the style!
I highly recommend it. 👍
4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is the first time reading anything from this author and let me say that I loved it so much.
I like this was my life in this book.
You now that feeling when you want something so badly but it hard cuz you have kids. Well I felt like that!
For example I have 5 kids now but one time I didn't. When I only had 4 I so badly want to go back to High School and finish and also go to college. One day I made up mine and decided to do it. I wasn't going to let nothing hold me back and has a mom I had to do this for my kids. To give them a better life. I end up finishing High School and went to College while my kids were in school. I was a college mom, working, and taking care of mine. I got my College degree on Criminal Justice.
Life doesn't stop cuz you have kids. It just the beginning! 💃
Life doesn't STOP it Continues! 😎
Once you have something in your head go for it and don't let nothing stop you.
This read was a eye opener!
I love the writing and the style!
I highly recommend it. 👍
4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 2, 2019
Heartwarming and real. Definitely a good read for those of us in transition. Would read again. Would love a sequel.
June 14, 2019
I wish we had this book when I was younger and a single Mom because even though there are so many single Mom's, I always felt alone and people just didn't understand. As I was reading this I was telling single Mom's this is a must-have book when it is published. I just think it is informative, and when I was a single Mom, there never seemed to be anywhere to turn to when I was struggling and discouraged but this book changes that. It is nice to see women banding together and I hope this book enriches the lives of those that read it. It is hard being a solo Mom but it is nice that at the end of a long, rough day, you can pick up this book and know you aren't alone, and you got this.
March 5, 2020
Heartwarming, Heart wrenching, Heartfelt
While neither single nor a mother, I was completely immersed in this beautiful collection capturing very human experiences. The wide ranging essays, poems, and quotes are warm, funny, heartfelt, compassionate, and so much more. The intention of "We Got This" is to support and inspire single moms, however I would also highly recommend this book for anyone interested in strong writing and compelling tales.
While neither single nor a mother, I was completely immersed in this beautiful collection capturing very human experiences. The wide ranging essays, poems, and quotes are warm, funny, heartfelt, compassionate, and so much more. The intention of "We Got This" is to support and inspire single moms, however I would also highly recommend this book for anyone interested in strong writing and compelling tales.
Read
January 27, 2020Even though I am not parenting solo, I was intrigued when the collection We Got This: Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart, and Humor (edited by Marika Lindholm, Cheryl Dumesnil, Domenica Rura and Katherine Shonk) came to my attention. The essays, poems, and quotations included in this anthology represent a broad range of experiences, family situations, and perspectives. One story, "I Was the Different One," is told from the viewpoint of a young woman who was raised by her mother while her father was in prison. The poem, "How to Comfort a Small Child," reflects on parenting through a spouse's deployment. The entries are told by familiar voices such as Amy Poehler, Audre Lorde, and Anne Lamott, as well as by newer voices that I look forward to hearing from again. The experiences on these pages convey the heartbreak, humor, and hope that are woven into so much of mothering, whatever our parenting teams might look like. They reaffirm that none of us, not even those who are mothering solo, are truly alone. We Got This is an excellent reminder to honor all the ways there are to be a mother and have a family.
July 31, 2020
Even though this collection is “solo mom stories,” I think anyone can enjoy this book because it’s full of heart and intellect. I’m not a mom, but I very much enjoyed reading the poetry and prose in this collection by a group of diverse women. One of my favorite stories was by Marika Lindholm (one of the editors). It’s a graceful tale of a parakeet that is symbolic for so much more. The parakeet is lost and (not exactly) found. It tells a compelling story of a woman and her children and the guilt and sacrifice that follows a divorce. Another favorite was by Jennifer Baumgardner, the author of another one of my favorite books. Her story is about “All the Single Ladies.” The collection includes poetry that is easy to read, but layered and thoughtful. For example, Sage Cohen’s words: my “son made me an arrangement of flowers shredded with scissors” and Ana Castillo lines: “Love me when you’re bored—” gave me much to consider. I highly recommend this collection as a gift for “solo moms”—but really for any person who wants to reads stories of love and loss, pain and pride. A beautiful collection!
December 8, 2019
This incredible collection of poems, essays, and short stories chronicling the heartaches and triumphs of single moms is exceptional. Seventy-five diverse voices eloquently share their experiences and their strength in persevering through motherhood without a partner. Though the women stem from different backgrounds, races, and religious, they are united in their love for their children reassuring single mothers that they are not alone.
The writing is powerful, poignant, thought provoking, and even comical at times. Because there is such a range of situations and emotions and the storytelling is so authentic, this book will resonate with many parents whether or not they have partners.
I highly recommend this one!
December 13, 2019
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
This is a wonderful story of 75 single moms and their struggles and triumphs to simply raise their children solo.
even if you are not a single mother, I think all women in general will love this book.
It hits you in the feels.
This is a wonderful story of 75 single moms and their struggles and triumphs to simply raise their children solo.
even if you are not a single mother, I think all women in general will love this book.
It hits you in the feels.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews