Maxed Out
Katrina Alcorn
2013, 379 pages
Nonfiction
This is a book for every mom out there striving for perfection at work and at home. It is a book for all of us who have stayed up all night breastfeeding infants, because that’s just what “good moms” do; then worked all day after too-short maternity leaves, because that’s just what “real women” do; and managed the household finances, cooking, laundry, caring for the children, etc. in our so-called spare time. This is the story of one “Maxed Out” mom that resonates with millions of others.
Katrina Alcorn “had it all” – talent, dedication, a good education, a wonderful husband, three healthy children, a swanky and exciting high-paying job with a flexible and understanding boss, and money for whatever she needed. Everything we women are all encouraged to strive for was hers. Most moms would envy her.
We all wonder: “How do people like her pull it off?”
What nobody knew, however, was that Katrina Alcorn battled frequent panic attacks and insomnia. Nobody knew how everything she was holding onto was always slipping out of her hands, and maintaining her life was literally driving her crazy. Nobody knew any of this about Katrina until she finally snapped, quitting her job and sinking into a year of emotional/psychological abyss.
But, in her words: “It’s crazy to put women in situations where they’re bound to go crazy, and then act like there’s something wrong with them for going crazy.”
For a 26-year-old “have-it-all”er like myself, this research-infused memoir was both gratifying and terrifying. It is an unreserved and decisive reminder of human limitations and a firm warning about reaching too far.
The book is also a repudiation of a broken system in our nation that makes far too few allowances in the working world for pesky little things like having babies and raising kids. It demonstrates how we really don’t have it all. Women all over the country are getting great educations and starting careers only to give them up when kids come along. Alternatively, those who don’t give up their dream careers often give up motherhood instead, or put it off until it’s too late and struggle with unexpected infertility. The book gives statistics and research-based information about what might happen if more of us just said “Enough!” and demanded better from our society and our government. What would happen if we moms all stopped judging each other for the sacrifices we are forced to make and worked together, with men, to make changes?
This is a heartfelt story I truly believe every mom out there can connect with for one reason or another – or many.
Highly recommended for any woman, or anyone who cares about a woman.
Ingrid CullenConcord Public Library
Visit CPL at concordpubliclibrary.net.
