| Light and Humorous. |
We're expecting a baby in less than a month. The pregnancy has been normal and uneventful, but it's a difficult time for a couple and a little levity is in order. Another couple suggested we read the book "Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth" by Jenny McCarthy. It was a quick and easy read and provided a lot of insightful laughs. I reviewed the book and gave it five stars. Almost immediately, a second book appeared on my suggestion list: "Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood" , also by Jenny McCarthy. I couldn't resist.
A major difference was immediately apparent. In the case of the first book, I had been through almost all of the experiences and could relate to McCarthy"s stories and laugh along with them. However, with the second book it was a series of things that I still have to look forward to. Hmmmm. I'm not sure I should have gone through with this. LOL. I suspect the book might have been funnier if I had been through it all and was looking back. Now, I'm feeling somewhat apprehensive.
A second factor also unexpectedly entered in. Jenny has a brash "tell-it-like-it-is" sense of humor. I was continuously taken back and lightly shocked, but laughing all the way. It was as if you were reading the script of a somewhat irreverent stand-up comic. However, in reading the second book the shock value was largely gone and the book was not nearly as humorous. It's somewhat like with people who make heavy use of f*** bombs and other gimmicks in their spoken word. At first it has a certain humor because it just isn't expected. But after a while, the humor wears thin and you take a more critical look at the content of what is said. I'd say the content here was rather thin, and in looking back on the first book I'd say the content was equally thin. Oh well, I wasn't looking for a treatise on child bearing and raising. As a first-time father, a little humorous insight was all I was looking forward to and Jenny provided it.
In reviewing the first book, I thought that Jenny's experiences were somewhat exaggerated over those of my wife. Now, this could just be her sense of humor and irreverent way of explaining things. I remarked that it also might mean that she was not in as good physical condition as my wife. Now, in the second book, I find out that she was a smoker up to the time of her first pregnancy and stopped for the sake of the unborn baby. First, I congratulate her. It was a wise thing to do. I totally agree with her decision, but I also realize, as a former smoker, that stopping smoking can be an exceedingly difficult task in itself and may well have contributed to some of the exaggerated difficulties experienced in her pregnancy. In my experience, I could still feel the negative effects of quitting smoking a year after I quit. Personally, I think she should have disclosed the smoking and smoking cessation in her first book.
So what about my recommendation? Well, the book provides a light and humorous read. Take it only as that. Personally, I think the first book was much better and the second is riding on those coattails. I gave it four stars, but that's a bit of a stretch. I doubt that I'll be reading any of the further books in the series, however.
Gary Peterson |
4 Rating
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