Everything I Needed to Know I Learned From My Six-Month-Old

August 5, 2013
Novelist Haulsey (The Red Moon) tells the story of her growing self-awareness through the lens of motherhood in this moving memoir. Awaiting the birth of her first child, the author was inspired by the story of an African tribe that honors its mothers with the same reverential songs sung to warriors returning from battle. “There was something about this vision of strength... that appealed to me,” she writes. “I just loved the idea of being able to magically summon my inner warrior to carry me through the end of pregnancy.” But when her inner warrior proved elusive during the first months of motherhood, it was Haulsey’s infant son, Kingston, who provided the introduction. Through his bloodcurdling screams, contented sighs, and growing connection to the world around him, Kingston relayed cues that Haulsey was able to internalize, allowing her to better understand her wants, needs, and motivations. In this way, she realized, her son had become her greatest teacher: “Prodded by his tiny fingers, I began to reevaluate my life with a level of honesty that had eluded me in the past.” Deeply illuminating, the book is a reminder of one’s ability to become a more evolved and content being. Agent: Gareth Esersky, Carol Mann Agency.