“A wonderful book, funny unbelievably tender, and smart. It shimmers.”--Anne Lamott
Includes an all-new afterword about Adam.
John and Martha Beck had two Harvard degrees apiece when they conceived their second child. Further graduate studies, budding careers, and a growing family meant major stress--not that they'd have admitted it to anyone (or themselves). As the pregnancy progressed, Martha battled constant nausea and dehydration. And when she learned her unborn son had Down syndrome, she battled nearly everyone over her decision to continue the pregnancy. She still cannot explain many of the things that happened to her while she was expecting Adam, but by the time he was born, Martha, as she puts it, "had to unlearn virtually everything Harvard taught [her] about what is precious and what is garbage."
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Focusing primarily on the pregnancy but floating back and forth between the present and recent and distant past, Martha Beck's well-written, down-to-earth, funny, heart-rending, and tender book transcends the cloying tone of much spiritual literature. Beck is trained as a methodical academician. Because of her step-by-step explanation of her own progress from doubt to belief, she feels like a reliable witness, and even the most skeptical readers may begin to doubt their senses. When she describes an out-of-body experience, we, too, feel ourselves transported to a pungent, noisy hawker center in Singapore. We, too, feel calming, invisible, supporting hands when she falls. Yet, whether or not readers believe in Beck's experiences is ultimately a moot point. There is no doubt that Adam--a boy who sees the world as a series of connections between people who love each other--is a tremendous gift to Beck, her family, and all who have the honor of knowing him. --Ericka Lutz
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Book Description Softcover. Condition: New. Reprint. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A candid and moving memoir of how one womans pregnancy forced her to confront her definition of how to live a successful lifeSlyly ironic, frequently hilarious, [Martha] Becks memoir charts the journey from being smart to becoming wise.-TimeThis edition includes a new afterword about Adam.From the moment Martha and her husband, John, accidentally conceived their second child, all hell broke loose. They were a couple obsessed with success. After years of matching IQs and test scores with less driven peers, they had two Harvard degrees apiece and were gunning for more. Theyd plotted out a future in the most vaunted ivory tower of academe.But when their unborn son, Adam, was diagnosed with Down syndrome, doctors, advisers, and friends in the Harvard community warned them that if they decided to keep the baby, they would lose all hope of achieving their carefully crafted goals.Fortunately, thats exactly what happened. By the time Adam was born, Martha and John were propelled into a world in which they were forced to redefine everything of value to them, put all their faith in miracles, and trust that they could fly without a net. And it worked.Expecting Adam captures the abject terror and exhilarating freedom of facing impending parenthood, being forced to question ones deepest beliefs, and rewriting lifes rules. Seller Inventory # DADAX0307719642
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. reprint edition. 355 pages. 7.75x5.00x1.00 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # 0307719642