Kristen Howerton - Rage Against the Minivan: Learning to Parent Without Perfection

Kristen Howertons authority, brilliance, wit, and wisdom is exceeded only by her authenticity. When Kristen writes, I pay attention because not only am I challenged and informed, I am becoming a better person in the world. This book is one part therapist, one part best friend, and such a gift to a generation of women tired of the mommy wars.

S ARAH B ESSEY , author of Jesus Feminist and Miracles and Other Reasonable Things

Kristen is refreshingly candid, sharply funny, and deeply self-evaluative in her storytelling about everything from infertility to adoption to introversion to racism to faith to dismantling the patriarchy. Kristens authenticity will inspire you to stop obsessing over the perfection-oriented optics of parenting so you can opt out of the shoulds and opt in to the stuff that truly matters to you.

C HRISTINE K OH , PhD., co-author of Minimalist Parenting and co-host of the Edit Your Life podcast

Kristen Howerton transcends genre, fusing populist and literary sensibilities to communicate her essential message of inclusivity and tolerance. Both provocative and compassionate, Howerton brings her unique brand of humor to some of the most sensitive and explosive subjects facing our society today, including faith, race, the shifting paradigm of family, and radical self-acceptance. She is a personal hero of mine, and I count her among the voices I turn to in my moments of deepest soul-searching, as well as when I just need a killer recipe for homemade mac and cheese or a great place to find a stylish sofa on-the-cheap. Shes a national treasure, and her memoir is a sorely needed beacon of light in these dark times.

J ILLIAN L AUREN , New York Times bestselling author of Some Girls: My Life in a Harem and Everything You Ever Wanted

Kristen Howerton is a good writer with ideas worth reading. Family, love, friendship, relationships and her escape from the restrictions of simplistic religion are just some of the themes she addresses with humor and clarity. Howerton is a welcome voice for sanity and compassion counted on by millions of readers worldwide.

F RANK S CHAEFFER , New York Times bestselling co-author of Keeping Faith

Kristen Howerton is a powerful voice in the movement to take back motherhood and make it fit our real lives. Her wit, humor, and authenticity are unmatched, and her writing wins every day.

C LAIRE D AZ- O RTIZ , co-author of Hope Runs: An American Tourist, a Kenyan Boy, a Journey of Redemption

We have the choice of two identities: the external mask which seems to be realand the hidden, inner person who seems to us to be nothing, but who can give himself eternally to the truth in whom he subsists.

THOMAS MERTON

A couple years ago, NPR reached out to me for a segment they were doing about the holidays. They wanted to interview me for tips on how moms could stay organized and calm in the midst of the season. I said yes, being the NPR nerd that I am, and then promptly forgot to put the interview in my calendar.

I had absolutely no business giving any shred of advice on successfully navigating the holiday season. I have a massive meltdown pretty much every year mid-December. I predictably overbook myself, take on too much, and fail to say no. This particular year was no exception, and my stress was affecting my health. I wasnt getting enough sleep, my immune system was shot, and I had developed shingles, a reactivation of the chicken pox virus that manifests in mind-numbingly painful blisters. Shingles is, according to Google, thought to be brought on by stress.