I am not a fan of Laura Prepon. I have occasionally enjoyed That 70’s Show but not enough to watch all of them, or even to go onto Orange is the New Black (like my cousin did after learning other actresses she liked were on it. And in the meantime, became a follower of Prepon’s cookbook). But when I saw we could request a reader copy of You and I, as Mothers: A Raw and Honest Guide to Motherhood I thought I would get it for my cousin. I admit, I only saw the author name, not the title and when I asked my cousin, she said no, she was not interested. By this time, I was interested. My goal the last few years is to read things I would not normally read. I tend not to read a lot of non-fiction, celebrity books or anything parenting or motherhood related (as I am “only the aunt” but a darn cool one if I do say so myself. And I have. And just did) so this book seemed to fit the bill.
It took me some time to read this book, even though it is fairly short, large text and relatively easy chapters. The biggest issue I had was Prepon repeats a bit of what she talks about and will mention “in the previous chapter” and I would have to backtrack to remember what is happening or try to find the new piece of information she wanted to portray. Yet, I was enjoying myself. It is a thinking book. I think, while Prepon might be a lovely person, we have some radically different belief systems and I probably will not be cooking up a batch of bone broth anytime soon; but I will be telling people about this modern take on motherhood. This is not a “how to be a mom” but how “Laura Prepon was/is a mom, her influences, her friends, her relationships, her ideals and so much more that you can decide for yourself what can help you or not.”
The short chapters lend themselves to being able to binge a few at a time. Yet, I am enjoying reading a section and contemplating what she is saying. I would say this is for the modern mother, but there were great tips on how to care for yourself; thoughts about how our own upbringings/mother guide us (I think that works for a parent or an aunt. I have values that my mom gave me, a few that I have that were opposite hers, and both I would like to instill with my nephews) and other pieces of information just to enjoy as a non-mother. I would think all women would find something in this book about a journey Prepon is taking. I would think we all have had similar ones. It is less of a “how to be a mom” but “this is how I was a mom/wife/actress/director and you can adapt them to your style but here are a few tips plus, there are some nice self-help tips for everyday life as well.” I probably will not try her recipes in the back (my cousin has her cookbook which means I am familiar with it), but I think they could be tasty for the right person.
I would only give this as a gift to someone after I had read it myself, as it will not lend itself to all people’s tastes (and of course any personal feelings you have about the author will color your feelings). I was glad a person was able to send me a reader copy to give me an experience I would never have probably taken otherwise.