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Motherness: A Memoir of Generational Autism, Parenthood, and Radical Acceptance

by Julie M. Green (Goodreads Author)

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Reader said: " What a gem of a book.

Honestly, I don't have words (because Julie M. Green seems to have stolen all the words from my mind anyway). Sometimes I take down quotes to get a more immersive reading experience, I am trying to do that a lot more now. In chap What a gem of a book.

Honestly, I don't have words (because Julie M. Green seems to have stolen all the words from my mind anyway). Sometimes I take down quotes to get a more immersive reading experience, I am trying to do that a lot more now. In chapter 1, almost everything was something I wanted to take down. Julie's experience of postpartum depression, especially given that she did not know she was autistic then. The things that made her fraught, that triggered her (even if she didn't know that was what it was)--the entire experience seemed duplicated from my own life. It was like reliving those those, which, let's be honest, weren't the best for me. And while everything else that came after were deeply relatable (Julie's description of her migraine, the sensations, the description of the icepick stabbing, which is literally the same as how I always imagine when I describe my pain; that, or, a hammer bashing down the side of my skull into brain matter), there were some differences, primarily stemming from the fact that I am South Asian, and all of the generational trauma that comes with it.

I, like Julie, sought and got diagnosis after having a child, but mine came much earlier thanks to the meme-ification of the human experience. And like Julie, my partner is the thing in my life I have always been sure of. My diagnosis is still recent, however, and that means I am still seeking out explanations and understanding. It is only now that I have been able to look past my present grief to look back at my childhood. I am often filled with grief, a deep chasm of a grief: if only I had known, if only there was someone in my life who could have helped me. How different would my life be? How less unrooted would I feel?

This isn't just a memoir: though the memoir part is written so very well. Her writing is just the right amount of funny (which I recognize comes from a lifetime of not knowing what to say), and her narrative style is powerful, weaving you in, tightening and loosening the string in accordance to the events.

I want to thank Julie for this book. Thank you for writing this. It felt almost freeing to read this. And I certainly feel a lot less alone. Can't wait for September when I can get a physical copy! ...more "

Jul 08, 2025 04:24AM · see review