Persevered: A Maternal Mental Health Memoir

by Kara Zivin

If you think you know what mental health during and after pregnancy looks like, A Maternal Mental Health Memoir will make you reconsider. This book is a raw personal account of surviving the darkest moments of new motherhood while juggling high expectations at home and at work.

Zivin takes the listener on an intimate and eye-opening journey that weaves together her perinatal medical records, journal entries, research, and imperfect memories. The story unfolds across hospital rooms, the author's home, and the university where she works, highlighting the complexity of holding on to one's identity when everything feels uncertain. Zivin writes with striking honesty about the confusion, guilt, and isolation that so many mothers experience alone but rarely admit to others.

Persevered moves beyond one woman's survival, breaking the silence that still surrounds maternal mental health. Zivin’s story reminds us that reaching out, sharing our experiences, and demanding better support can make a difference, not just for mothers but for families and communities. This memoir is for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, anyone who has supported a loved one through challenging times, or anyone who believes that honest storytelling can spark real change.

260 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book both in how it’s written and in the story it tells. Dr. Zivin manages to weave a personal narrative with scientific facts based on her own mental health research, conducted subsequent to her own ordeal. She has used her own difficult experience to make the world a better place by both sharing her story and conducting research that is helping other people.

Most people don’t know much about perinatal depression. Postpartum depression has gotten a lot of press but not depression during pregnancy, which is much more common than people think. This book is relatable not to just people who have had this condition, but anyone who has struggled with mental illness, anyone who has loved someone who has struggled with mental illness, anyone who has felt unable to compete with society’s demands, etc.

[Tevah Platt · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Data makes you credible; stories make you memorable." Kara Zivin, a leading researcher on maternal mental health, learned the craft of creative nonfiction writing to write a memoir that weaves the vulnerability of her personal experience together with the power of her expertise. Perinatal mental health is the most underdiagnosed obstetric complication in America, according to Zivin. "Sometimes I wonder why people do not scream about this public health crisis... and demand that we do more to help one another." Zivin presents a credible, memorable, and critical call to action.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Persevered is a beautiful and deeply moving book. The author weaves together data, medical records, personal narrative, and journal entries in a way that feels both rigorously grounded and profoundly human. The honesty and vulnerability on every page are remarkable, and the courage it takes to write so openly about such a personal experience is not lost on the reader. This book is an important contribution not only as a memoir but as a call to action for research in this space. Highly recommend.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so honest and raw (and entertaining!) -- it grabbed me with the first scene. I love how she includes real medical notes from her doctors and never shies away from her feelings. It's such a unique story of mental health struggles coming from someone who's career *is* researching mental health, which really illuminates how isolating the experience can be no matter how much knowledge you have and how many resources you're surrounded by.

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of Dr. Zivin's new memoir about her pregnancy and postpartum experience. She shares a raw, vulnerable account of her mental health struggles through pieced-together medical records, journal entries, and her memories of the months and years surrounding the birth of her son.

Dr. Zivin not only has lived experience with maternal mental health challenges, but also is a prolific maternal mental health researcher. In her memoir, she weaves in her own original research to illustrate the scope of these challenges across the country and how the medical system is ill equipped to support mental health needs during pregnancy.

This memoir reads beautifully and emotionally and will strongly resonate with anyone who has been pregnant or knows anyone who has been pregnant (so, most of us!). Highly recommend!

[Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an advanced copy of this book from the author. It is an amazing book. The author tells a harrowing personal story that informs all of us about the complexities of mental illness and the U.S. healthcare system's inadequacy in dealing with such common issues. While the book shares much pain it also leaves us with great hope for the future. I got so much from this book. I am so pleased that Dr. Zivin had the courage to share her story with all of us.

[Emilee Coulter-Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Kara Zivin bravely unveils her gripping story of depression before, during, and after pregnancy in service to her profession, public health prevention and policy, and in support of individuals experiencing similar struggles throughout childbirth. Persevered brings mental health hospitalization and ECT out of the shadows and into the light. This compelling testimonial calls for compassion and action to outshine and end pervasive stigma that has plagued families for far too long.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written. The narrative drew me in and kept me turning pages. The author’s honesty and openness is praiseworthy. She has done a tremendous service by sharing her story to help others. By allowing us to see so closely into her life during a very difficult time, she captures the full complexity of mental health in a way that is rarely shown. The enormity of her struggle is painted on the pages. This book inspires compassion for others and for ourselves.

[Jodie Katon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr Zivin provides a powerful narrative of her own struggles with perinatal mental health along with information on the current state of science and policy on this topic. She hits just the right balance to keep the readers engaged and raises important questions about our approach to parenthood, work, and mental health care.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book. Zivin’s use of raw storytelling and artful weaving in of medical records had me eagerly flipping pages to see how it all turned out while her use of research to illuminate the landscape of maternal mental health left me more informed and enraged. :)

[Srijan Sen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Zivin shares a gripping narrative of her personal journey. She is masterful in weaving her story and research together and highlights the gaps in how we approach mental health care.