Ain’t That A Mother
Postpartum, Palsy, and Everything in Between
By Adiba Nelson
Directed by Jesse Bickford
Read by Adiba Nelson
Runtime
9h 14m
Release
05-03-22
Abridgement
Unabridged
Genre
Nonfiction/Biography & Autobiography
Overview
From pasties to postpartum and everything in between
No one said motherhood would be easy. For Adiba Nelson, the journey to parenthood started with a big bang and continues with a breakdown (or two) and several “why?” questions for God.
Witty and bold, Afro-Latina Adiba grew up in survival mode. Her sometimes complicated relationship with her strong-willed, vibrant, religious mother marked her views of mothering and love. When a chance encounter with a tall-ish, brown-skinned brotha at Ruby Tuesday’s right before closing time collided with a Jill Scott song and the right time of the month, Adiba found herself unexpectedly pregnant. She also found herself unexpectedly falling into the same relationship patterns of the matriarchs before her—the ones she swore she’d never end up in.
Mom to a new baby with high medical needs and with a slew of hardships that just won’t quit, she set out on a reckoning that was just as generational as it was personal. Along the way, Adiba never loses her heart or her humor. This is a true love story, but the kind about a woman loving herself enough to change the course of her life for herself, her child, and the women after her as well as before. From pasties to postpartum depression, Ain’t That A Mother is not your average motherhood memoir—and Adiba is not your average mother.
The in-between moments and the self-revelations are where this bold and brilliant story of love, family secrets, and lots of “what the…?” really shines. Just like parenting, the story is messy, but the reward is incredibly satisfying.
Editorial Reviews
“You’ll immediately be welcomed into Nelson’s life as she shares the truth of her parenting journey—from the highs of loving a child with complex medical needs to the lows of experiencing postpartum depression and the messy state in-between. You’ll laugh, cry, and gain a new appreciation for motherhood.” —Essence
“Ain’t That A Mother is a treasure-filled gold mine of a book that’ll leave you alternately teary-eyed and clutching your stomach and your pearls. What a clear-eyed, wisdom-filled, heart-led, emotional journey in the shoes of this mama bear, this lover, this advocate, this mover, this passionate woman. Brava!” —Denene Millner, New York Times bestselling author of My Brown Baby: On the Joys and Challenges of Raising African American Children
“Adiba Nelson is powerfully funny, unflinchingly honest, and as self-assured as she is self-critical. In this intimate account of raising a child with special needs, Nelson sugarcoats nothing and celebrates her daughter at every turn. As enthralling as a long conversation with an old friend, this book will make you feel seen, trusted, and less alone.” —Emily Adrian, author of The Second Season
“How can a book about very difficult things be so funny? Adiba Nelson is a master storyteller, a wise truth-teller, and an all-around joy of a writer. Reading Ain’t That A Mother is akin to spending a week with your most warm, hilarious, kind friend.” —Joanna Rakoff, international bestselling author of My Salinger Year and A Fortunate Age
“Ain't That a Mother is the most honest, most hilarious, most unapologetic book about motherhood I've ever read. It’s the book I desperately needed twenty-plus years ago when my mothering journey began. Adiba Nelson's story of faith, discrimination, trauma, love, loss, and, ultimately, healing, totally reinvents the motherhood memoir. Nelson is a survivor and a masterful storyteller. Her magnificent, unabashed voice and big heart will grab you from the very first page.” —Deesha Philyaw, author of the National Book Award finalist The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
Author Biography
Adiba Nelson writes about inclusion and her life as a Black mother, woman, and daughter. She wrote her 2013 children’s book, Meet ClaraBelle Blue, after searching fruitlessly for a children’s book that adequately and appropriately represented her Afro-Latinx daughter with special needs. The subject of the Emmy Award–winning documentary The Full Nelson, Adiba is a highly acclaimed speaker and in 2017 delivered a TEDx talk to a sold-out house on what to do when life throws you a curveball. As the curveballs keep coming, Nelson continues to write.
Narrator Biography
Adiba Nelson writes about inclusion and her life as a Black mother, woman, and daughter. She wrote her 2013 children’s book, Meet ClaraBelle Blue, after searching fruitlessly for a children’s book that adequately and appropriately represented her Afro-Latinx daughter with special needs. The subject of the Emmy Award–winning documentary The Full Nelson, Adiba is a highly acclaimed speaker and in 2017 delivered a TEDx talk to a sold-out house on what to do when life throws you a curveball. As the curveballs keep coming, Nelson continues to write.